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SERMOIS 

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DOCTRINAL AND MORAL SUBJECTS. 



t 

SERMONS 



ON 



DOCTRINAL AND MOKAL SUBJECTS. 



By G. W. MONTGOMERY, 

PASTOR OF THE FIRST UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY, 
ROCHESTER, N. Y. 



ROCHESTER: 

PRINTED %D PUBLISHED BY W. HEUGHES^ 
MONROE HALL, MAIN-STREET, 

1850. 



Entered according to act of Congress, by 
GEORGE W. MONTGOMERY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United 
States, for the Northern District of New York. 



PREFACE, 



My chief aim, in presenting this volume of 
sermons to the public, is, to furnish a keepsake 
to the numerous friends with whom I have en- 
joyed a delightful acquaintance for many years. 
I have not the vanity to suppose, that the ser- 
mons evince sufficient merit to command any 
great degree of interest. The feeling which 
urged me to the work, is of a far different char- 
acter. I thought that my friends would welcome 
the volume, as coming from one who has been 
with them in seasons of joy and sorrow, and 
whose prayers are ever uttered for their spirit- 
ual and worldly prosperity, and that they would 
receive it as a memento of its author. And if, 
in addition to this, it shall stimulate the faith and 
life of the believer in the least degree, or shall 
afford one ray of light to the seeker after truth, 
I shall feel that my labors have been abundantly 
rewarded. 

Rochester, N. Y., August, 1849, 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Authenticity of the Scriptures, - - 9 

The True Reliance, - 21 

The Resurrection, 33 

The Spirit returning to God, - 48 

Universal Redemption, - - - 59 

Truth and Centralization, - - 71 

Change after Death, - - ? 84 

Longing for the Immortal Home, - 96 

Horrors of Endless Misery, - - 109 

Limited and Universal Compassion, - 122 

The Insidiousness of Sin, - - 134 

Christian Progress, 147 

Love and its Neighbor, - 159 

The Test of Love, ... 171 

The true Rule of Action, - - - 182 

Individual •Influence, - • - - 193 

The Uncertainty of Life and its Prospects, - 205 



SERMON L 



AUTHENTICITY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 

" Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain 
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the 
world, and not after Christ." (Colossians, 2 : 8.) 

The Revelation of God signifies that he has 
communicated certain truths to men, which they 
were incapable of discovering by their own pow- 
ers, and yet which are of the greatest importance 
to them. These truths are contained in the 
Bible, which, we therefore conclude, is of divine 
origin-, and as such, is worthy of all acceptation. 
The fact that this revelation is from God, is sus- 
tained by the nature and character of the Fa- 
ther ; the mission of Christ ; the fulfilment of 
prophecy ; the exhibition of miracles ; the adap- 
tation of Christian truth to our intellectual and 
moral wants ; and the testimony furnished by 
history. This revelation was not made to us 
personally. It was communicated to inspired 
men who lived many ages since, on whose ex- 
perience we rely and in whose records we be- 
lieve. Hence, as Divine Revelation was not 
primarily given to us, we receive it through men 
who were raised up for the purpose of establish- 
ing it in the world, for the instruction of all 
people. 

Mr. Paine advances the idea, that a truth is a 
revelation only to the first person to whom it may 
be communicated ; and that to all others, it is 

B 



10 



AUTHENTICITY OF 



no revelation ; being mere hearsay, which they 
are not bound to believe. Mr. Hume reasons, 
that as we have never experienced the inspira- 
tion of God in our own persons, nor witnessed a 
miracle, our experience should be decisive 
against the experience of those who affirm that 
they were inspired by Deity, and performed 
miracles in attestation of it — hence, no divine 
revelation has ever been given. If these posi- 
tions are true, then it follows that any truth 
which we have not experienced, and which is 
made known to us by others, is no revelation to 
us ; and, as it has not come within our experi- 
ence, it is therefore no truth. This rule would 
sweep away all the information we have receiv- 
ed on the authority of other men, and not by our 
own experience. From the very nature of the 
case, certain important branches of our know- 
ledge have not been revealed to us directly, nor 
through our own experience. They have been 
revealed to other men, whose researches testify 
to us that these branches of knowledge are true. 
For instance ; Galileo, the Italian philosopher, 
discovered that the old notion of the earth being 
immovable, and of the revolution of all the 
heavenly bodies around it, is a great error ; that 
it is the rotation of the earth on its axis, which 
makes the heavenly bodies appear to revolve 
about it ; and that it is the actual revolution of 
the earth around the sun, which produces the 
seasons. But wo have not had a revelation of 
this truth made to us — it was made directly to 
him as the result of his researches ; and it is 
through him that we have received and do be- 
lieve it. Not only is it not a direct revelation 
to us, but it is contrary to our experience. Our 
experience teaches us, though it teaches us 



THE SCRIPTURES. 



falsely, that the earth is immovable, that the sun 
rises and sets, and that the heavenly bodies move 
regularly from east to west. But notwithstand- 
ing all this, the fact that the earth rotates on its 
axis and revolves around the sun, is demonstra- 
ted and universally believed. Yet if we are not 
to believe any proposition, unless it is: a direct 
revelation to us, especially if it fe contrary to 
our experience, we should reject this fact, to- 
gether with multitudes of other facts, and settle 
down into obstinate ignorance. 

Another mode still more strikingly shows the 
fallacy of this argument from experience-;— * 
There was a time when the experience of all 
men testified, that a piece of iron flung into the 
air, would infallibly return to the earth, and that 
it could not be suspended from falling, without 
the intervention of strings or chains. Now if 
no statement is to be received which makes 
against experience, men ought to- have rejected 
the statement at once, that a magnet can so sus- 
pend a piece of iron without the use of strings 
or chains. Had they rejected it, they would 
have acted as an eastern king did in regard to 
another statement. A Dutch ambassador was 
describing to the king of Siam the peculiarities 
of Holland. Among other things, he told the 
king ,that water became so hard in cold weather 
that men and even elephants could walk upon it. 
The king answered, " Hitherto I have believed 
the strange things you have told me, because I 
looked upon you as a sober, fair man. ; but now 
I am sure you lie- 53 He rejected the statement 
because it was contrary to his experience. He 
had never seen ice. But what was contrary to 
his experience, was in perfect agreement with 
the experience of men living in colder climates. 



12 



AUTHENTICITY OF 



It was not a fair way to meet the statement by 
his experience. He should have searched out 
its possibility, and the nature of the testimony 
going to prove the fact itself. 

That men are not now inspired ; that men do 
not now witness the performance of miracles ; 
and that no revelation from God is now given 
directly to men ; has nothing to do with the 
truth or falsity of the Scriptures. Christianity 
must be met on grounds which are consistent in 
themselves, and will not establish the proposition 
that a large share of our knowledge ought to be 
rejected. The main points of inquiry are five. 
1. Is it possible for God to make such a revela- 
tion 1 2. Is it probable that he has done so ? 
3. Does the necessity for it exist % 4. Is it cer- 
tain that he has done so 1 5. Does the supposed 
revelation agree with the wants of men ? If 
these points can be clearly and distinctly an- 
swered, then Christianity stands on an immova- 
ble foundation, proving that he who in ancient 
times spake unto the fathers by the prophets, in 
the last days of the Mosaic Law has spoken to 
the world by his Son, our Savior. 

I. It is possible for God to make a revelation 
of divine truth to men. Of this position there 
would seem to be no room for rational doubt. — 
If men, when they discover new facts, can re- 
veal those facts to their fellow-men, surely he who 
made man, must be able to reveal truth to his 
children. God created the natural world ; and 
he has so constituted man with senses and con- 
nected them with the mind, that he derives 
knowledge from nature. This knowledge is a 
revelation from God ; only it is given through 
the medium of the universe. Has he, then, who 
created the universe itself, with all its sublime 



THE SCRIPTURES. 



and wonderful works, no power to suggest a 
higher order of truth to men 1 The conclusion 
appears irresistible, that he who fashioned the 
the mind itself, has the ability to communicate 
spiritual truth to certain men, that they might 
proclaim that truth to the world by the ordinary 
means of speech and writing. The power of 
God extends to every thing which does not imply 
a contradiction of his nature. And as the rev- 
elation of divine truth does not imply such a 
contradiction, but, on the contrary, agrees with 
his character most perfectly, the possibility of 
such a revelation is complete. This fact is not 
denied by Deists. Mr. Paine says, " Revelation 
when applied to religion, means something com- 
municated immediately from God to man. No 
one will deny or dispute the power of the Almighty 
to make such a communication, if he pleases?' — 
(Age of Reason, p. 13.) 

II. It is probable that God would make such a 
revelation to men. The probability of a revela- 
tion from God, rests on this fact, viz., the want 
of it to make man's existence, as human exist- 
ence, perfect. After God had created the earth, 
the undoubted probability grew out of the very 
nature of things, that he would so create man 
as to adapt him to that outward nature which 
supplies his physical wants so abundantly. This 
probability has been demonstrated by the fact 
that man has been so created ; so that the fact 
and the probability perfectly agree. Is there 
less probability that God would reveal the truth 
so necessary to satisfy the higher wants of the 
spiritual and moral nature of man, than there 
was that he would abundantly supply his phys- 
ical wants ? Man is every where a worshiping 
being, and is continually aspiring after know- 



14 



AUTHENTICITY OF 



ledge of another world. Of himself he has no 
power to obtain that knowledge and a right un- 
derstanding of the true objects of worship. Is 
there not as much probability that God would 
supply this knowledge, as there is that he would 
supply the hunger of the body by the bounties 
of nature ? In all nations, men have expected 
that the higher powers would communicate with 
them. Hence Cicero said : " I know of no na- 
tion, however civilized and learned, or fierce and 
barbarous, which does not think that future 
things may be signified and predictedrTo us." 
(Turner's Sac. Hist, of the World, vol. 2 p. 24.) 
Hence too, when Zoroaster, Mahomet, Sweden- 
borg, and others, presented systems to the world, 
as coming from God by inspiration, much of 
their success depended upon the expectation 
which people have universally entertained, that 
revelations would come from the unseen world. 

III. The necessity exists for such a revelation 
from God, This necessity arises from the fact 
that man has important wants, which could not 
be supplied without such a revelation. Every 
person who thinks rightly, will admit that it is 
necessary for men to possess correct views of 
God. In those nations where such views are 
not entertained, we find man idolatrous in wor- 
ship, and enveloped in all the evils of human 
sacrifices, both of adults and children. It is 
necessary for men to have correct and sublime 
views of future existence. Where these views 
are not entertained, the greatest anxiety and dis- 
tress prevails, not only on account of the loss of 
friends by death, but from inability to decide 
what their future condition will be. It is neces- 
sary for men to have a perfect system of moral- 
ity. Where such a perfect system does not ex- 



THE SCRIPTURES. 



15 



ist, the very worst principles of action have been 
adopted and practiced. For though heathen 
philosophers ha^ve taught many excellent moral 
precepts, yet they have been mixed with such 
immoral instructions, as were calculated to, and 
did, fill society with the most horrid forms of evil. 

In these wants, the necessity for a revelation 
from God exists. For in no other way can men 
obtain a perfect system of religious faith and 
practice. If there is another way, why have 
men never discovered it ? It is unfair to urge 
against this position, that some sceptics have ad- 
vanced the truth of a future existence and a good 
code of morals; for these sceptics have advan- 
ced nothing good which was not written in the 
Bible long before they existed. The proper 
question is, would these sceptics, had they lived 
in heathen society, have discovered a rational 
religious faith and practice ? The history of 
heathenism proves that they^ would not have 
done so. 

The condition of man, then, without a direct 
revelation from God, proves its necessity. Wise 
minds in pagan lands admitted this necessity, 
and discovered that the evils which existed, 
could not be remedied, save by a revelation from 
the spiritual world. 

To make this point of the subject clearer, let 
us suppose a case. If a nation entertained er- 
rors about social life, which led to the most ru- 
inous corruptions ; to the most degrading forms 
of vice ; to the destruction of affection and peace 
— if the government saw these errors in their 
fullness, and its members had power to correct 
them by an act of legislation, there would then 
exist the 'possibility of their so legislating. If 
they possessed wisdom and love for the people, 



16 



AUTHENTICITY OF 



the probability would exist of their so legislating. 
And the necessity of it would be apparent in the 
eonditon of the people. And we reason correct- 
ly when we conclude, that the possibility founded 
on their power thus to legislate, the probability 
of it founded on their wisdom and love, and the 
necessity of it growing out of the condition of 
the people, would infallibly bring about the need- 
ed legislation. In applying this case, we take up, 

IV. The certainty that God has given a divine 
revelation in the Scriptures. It is evident that 
divine revelation is possible, because God has the 
power to give it; it is probable, because he has 
wisdom and love to urge him to give it ; it is 
necessary, because the exaltation of the world 
in truth and happiness demands it ; and, hence, 
we think it rational to conclude that it is certain 
he would do it. 

It is possible for God to give the bee an uner- 
ring instinct to collect its honey. It is probable 
that he will do so, because his goodness wisely 
adapts means to ends. It is necessary, because 
the bee could not exist without it. And the pos- 
sibility, probability, and necessity of it, insure 
the certainty of his having given it. Has God 
done more for the bee, than he has to satisfy the 
cravings of man's moral and spiritual nature ; 
to improve his condition in life ; to make him 
perfectly answer the object of his existence ; and 
to sustain him under the evils incidental to his 
humanity ? Every rational view of the charac- 
ter of God seems to answer in the negative, and 
to prove that he would give heavenly truth 
to man. We deem it certain then, that God has 
given a divine revelation to men. And that 
Christianity is that revelation, is demonstrated 
by the testimony which accompanies it — testimo* 



THE SCRIPTURES. 



17 



ny which commenced long before Christianity 
was established, pointing forward to the rising of 
the "sun of righteousness," whose unfoldings 
reach the present time. 

All the prophecies which were spoken in ref- 
erence to the overthrow of nations and cities, 
and the truth of which is verified by the finger of 
history being placed on the remnants of them that 
now remain— all those prophecies which relate 
to the Savior, and which were so miraculously 
fulfilled in him and the events that attended 
his coming — are but so many proofs of the in- 
spiration of the prophets, and of the fact that 
God was foreshadowing the period when his most 
precious gift was presented to the world. The life, 
character, and miracles of Christ ; his doctrine 
and practical system of morals ; the labors, suf- 
ferings, virtue, and sincerity of the apostles ; the 
unbroken line of history, reaching from their 
time to ours, proving that the events recorded in 
the New Testament, did actually transpire ; the 
institution of the Lord's day, as certainly reach- 
ing back to the resurrection of Christ as its found- 
ation, as our fourth of July reaches back to the 
declaration of Independence for its commence- 
ment ; these proofs, with others, present them- 
selves as an impregnable defense of the divine 
origin of Christianity. Philosophy, so called, 
may be urged against it. That philosophy will 
be seen to be spurious. Traditions, inconsisten- 
cies, and doubts may be raised ; but they shall 
be shown to arise in mistake, as spectres arise in 
twilight. The errors and misconduct of many 
professed Christians may be suggested to show 
its want of power ; but they shall be shown to 
have no other bearing on genuine Christian doc- 
trine and conduct, than counterfeit money has 
B 2 



18 



AUTHENTICITY OF 



upon undoubted coin. It may be subjected to 
the most rigid examination, and yet Christianity 
will come out of the conflict, radiant in truth, as 
the revelation of God. 

V. The adaptation of this revelation to the wants 
of men. The proof in favor of Christianity, de- 
rived from its fitness to meet and satisfy the spir- 
itual and moral wants of men, is of such charac- 
ter as to be felt by every individual, who tests its 
power to satisfy the cravings of his mind. It is 
the inward conviction, that the Gospel is what 
the world has long blindly sought after ; is pre- 
cisely what the world needs ; and perfectly an- 
swers those aspirations after divine truth, which 
have always been cherished by men. Now, if 
physical food exactly meets the cravings of a 
right appetite, and affords the proper kind of nu- 
triment to the body, no person would condemn 
the food as false and pernicious. And by parity 
of reasoning, if Christianity perfectly meets the 
hunger of the mind ; if it satisfies its desires af- 
ter the knowledge of God, of the future world, 
and of moral duty ; surely it must be right and 
true, and must have come from that Being who 
can exactly adapt means to ends. 

To show that it is thus adapted to the spiritual 
wants of men, let us take a course which will 
make it strikingly clear. Imagine yourselves 
among a pagan people. Examine the religion 
they have adopted ; the effects produced by it in 
their midst ; and your minds will at once admit 
that Christianity is precisely what they need. If 
we had seen the Athenians bowing before their 
idols, and writing upon their altars, " to the un- 
known God" — if we had seen the cruelties prac- 
ticed, on the supposition that they were pleasing 
to such deities — our conviction would be strong, 



THE SCRIPtTMS* 



that such people were greatly in need of the true 
knowledge of their Creator; of his paternal 
character ; of his mercy and love ; and of the 
fact, that he requires no sacrifice of human life, 
but rather the devotion of faith and virtue. — «• 
Christianity gives precisely this knowledge ; and 
we can not avoid the conclusion, that Wherever" 
this knowledge exists, the evils of paganism 
cease. 

If we could behold the gloom and doubt, which 
existed in regard to a future existence — the burn- 
ing desires of the soul after an assurance of such 
an existence— the terror, deep sorrow, and intol- 
erable anguish produced by death-bereavements, 
in the absence of such assurance — we should at 
once say, that the knowledge of the truth of life 
and immortality, as brought to light through 
the Gospel, would remove these evils, destroy 
those fears of death, and elevate the soul with 
hope and trust in God. 

If we could examine all the systems of future 
punishment which heathen religionists have im- 
agined and painted with fearful horrors — if we 
could see thousands enduring most painful pen- 
ances and dreadful sacrifices — we should say, 
that the Christian doctrine of emendatory pun- 
ishment, of the destruction of all evil, and of the 
final reconciliation of the world, would be pre- 
cisely adapted to their wants, because it would 
destroy their errors and save them from useless 
pains. 

If we could witness the obscene ceremonies 
which attended some forms of pagan worship — ■ 
if we could see the results of those pernicious 
principles of practice, which produced enormous 
evils in society, leading to theft, child-murder, 
and other vices — we should at once be convinced, 



20 



SCRIPTURE AUTHENTICITY. 



that the pure morality belonging to Christianity 
would cure all these evils and establish that vir- 
tue, without the practice of which no true hap- 
piness can be attained. 

Now, as Christianity is specially fitted to sat- 
isfy the spiritual and moral wants of men, and 
to remove the evils to which they are subjected, 
It follows that Christianity is adapted to the wants 
of men, and was designed to meet those wants. — 
And if men could not originate Christianity, as 
facts prove they could not, then we must adopt 
the only conclusion left us, viz., that Christianity 
came from God. 

Thus have I, briefly and imperfectly it is true, 
presented a sketch of the evidence for Divine 
Revelation, founded on its possibility, its proba- 
bility, its necessity, its certainty, and- its adapta- 
tion to the moral and spiritual cravings of the 
soul. And that proof establishes the glorious 
truth, that Jesus has promulgated a system of 
truth which had its origin in the Eternal Mind. 



SERMON II. 



THE TRUE RELIANCE. 



" Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we 
go 1 ? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe 
and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living 
God." (John, 6: 68,69.) 

The circumstances with which the text is con- 
nected, are these : Certain individuals had 
followed our Savior, most likely with the impres- 
sion that his kingdom was of a temporal charac- 
ter, and, in all probability, would yield worldly 
honors to its supporters. But when Jesus cor- 
rected this notion, by uttering words that were 
full of spiritual life, thereby showing that his ob- 
ject was to elevate and vigorously expand the 
mind, and that the honors he gave were those of 
faith and virtue, they were disappointed. They 
were so earnest after earthly advancement, 
wealth, and power, that they had neither an eye 
to see nor an ear to hear the glorious forms of 
divine truth, which Jesus uttered as the One 
sent from God. Consequently their zeal evapo- 
rated, having no element of stability in it. Their 
feelings ceased to yearn for the Savior, and they 
forsook him. " From that time," says the Rec- 
ord, " many of his disciples went back, and walk- 
ed no more with him." (John, 6: 66.) With 
simple passion for outward greatness, such as 
wealth and fame give, they had no vivid desires 
for a Savior who dwelt in the soul, and made it 



*j2 



THE TRUE RELIANCE. 



warm with truth and vigorous with virtue. Up- 
on such a Savior they looked with a cold eye, 
and then turned away with scorn. 

Thus met with the chilling disaffection of 
lukewarm friends, Jesus turned to the twelve 
apostles, with the pathetic inquiry, " Will ye al- 
so go away I" It was a searching inquiry, com- 
ing as it did from one whose friendship knew 
neither frost nor ice ; whose love for man was not 
quenched by bitter persecution nor cruel death. 
It was felt. It created right thoughts. Peter 
answered, " Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou 
hast the words of eternal life. And we believe 
and are sure, that thou art that Christ, the Son 
of the living God." They were convinced that 
Jesus was the promised Messiah. He alone, of 
all others, had spoken to them words of truth — 
words which were hallowed by his earnest love 
— truth which could be given by the Father on- 
ly, and which gave to man the real life of faith 
and virtue. All had tended to produce this re- 
sult in their minds. The character of the Sa- 
vior ; hi* strong desire to do good ; his elevated 
views of the Father ; his astonishing miracles, 
not less evincing his divine power than showing 
the truest benevolence ; all proved him to be the 
Son of God. And the apostles understood clear- 
ly that, if they forsook Jesus, there was no other 
person to whom they could go and receive know- 
ledge, for which all ears and eyes had long been 
open to hear and see. To them he, and he alone. 
was "the Son of the living God," the Messiah 
of ancient promise. 

And as if to show the infatuation and folly of 
seeking something else, and forsaking Jesus, two 
of the band of apostles lost sight of their duty, 
and in bitterness found that they had chosen evil 



THE TRUE RELIANCE, 



and sorrow. Judas went to avarice ; a thirst 
for money without legitimate labor ; a thirst 
which was an adversary to his peace, to his vir- 
tue, and therefore properly called a devil, a sa- 
tan. He betrayed his Lord for money. His 
new master was a hard one. His work of treach- 
ery led him to overwhelming remorse, while ex- 
cessive grief choked him, and premature death 
closed his career. Peter too went aw T ay. When dis- 
aster had descended upon the cause of his Lord — 
when he had fallen into ,the hands of those whose 
hard hearts cried out for his blood — when Peter 
was pointed at as one of the followers of the de- 
spised Nazarene — then he left Jesus, and went 
to falsehood, and denied his Savior,, in order to 
escape persecution, as he thought. But in tears, 
he afterwards lamented his defection, and return- 
ed to Jesus in penitence, finding that honest ad- 
herance to known duty, is the only way to be 
happy. In later times, however, the apostles 
were free from all doubt and w r avering. They 
went to no one but Jesus. He w r as their sole 
reliance. And through evil and good report ; 
in persecution, trial, poverty, and death ; in all 
places and under all circumstances ; they preach- 
ed Jesus, the beloved Son of God, the good phy- 
sician, the Lord of truth, the Savior of the world ; 
he who hath power to annihilate sin, error, and 
death ; who alone hath that power, and which he 
will use for the work of redemption. 

Such are the circumstances connected with the 
text. To pass from those circumstances to the 
subject which they illustrate, we remark, that it 
would be profitable to all of us, if we could real- 
ize that we heard his hallowed voice, saying to 
each one individually, " Will ye also go away ?" 
Such a direction of the mind must be profitable, 



24 



THE TRUE RELIANCE. 



because, if through coldness, temptation, or sin, 
any are disposed to leave the Savior, it makes 
them think of what answer can be given to the 
question, " Lord, to whom shall we go ?" It is 
an important question ; one of thrilling interest 
to all ; and one which the stern teachings of time 
will bring home to us, at some of the periods of 
life's history. Shall we propose it to ourselves, 
and demand of our souls a decided answer ? 

The question is, of course, founded upon the 
presumption, that Jesus is the Son of God. Peter 
said, " We believe and are sure, that thou art 
that Christ, the Son of the living God." This 
strong and nervous statement, is, to our minds, 
full of truth. Jesus was raised up by the Fath- 
er, for the special purpose of giving to the world 
a system of truth, as the foundation of faith, hope, 
virtue, and advancement. This position is sus- 
tained by a group of facts which are strong with 
proof and instruction. The pure and spotless life 
of the Savior, radiant with virtue and subduing 
with love for man, which burned the more bril- 
liantly as his sufferings increased in intensity, 
demonstrates the sincerity of Jesus. His doc- 
trine ; full of sublime themes ; so necessary to 
man, so obviously beyond human means to create 
and fulfil, proves that it came from the Father. 
His miracles ; so expressive of power beyond 
human power, so full of benevolence in their 
immediate action, so clearly the result of a di- 
vine mission, show that Jesus vms sent from God. 
His system as a whole ; so admirably fitted to 
place man on the tide of progressive civilization; 
so strong with every kind of moral instruction 
and influence, exhibits the fact that Jesus is the 
divine Reformer whom God chose to reconcile 
the world. Thus all these things, illuminated 



THE TRUE RELIANCE. 



25 



as they are, by that light which glows in the fires 
of prophecy, will, on a candid examination, serve 
to fasten the belief in the soul, that Jesus is the 
Christ, " the Son of the living God." 

Now, if disposed to leave the Savior, the ques- 
tion, 4 To whom shall we go V is one which should 
be thought of and answered by all. It is true, 
that there are many temptations to avoid this con- 
sideration. When life is a gentle stream ; when 
prosperity comes in full sail ; when friends smile ; 
when all wants are amply supplied ; when trouble 
and sorrow are seen only so far off as to create 
no fear ; then we are too apt to act as though we 
were immortal ; as though the clear day could 
have no clouds ; as though we needed no other 
reliance than ourselves ; as though the volume 
of our existence could not have an end. This 
is peculiarly the case in youth. The eye of 
youth sees a glow of light over all things, and 
never dreams that such light can fade. For it, 
She sea of life has no bounds, the day no night, 
and the sun no setting. So it is, at times, 
with all. Men act as though there was no God 
nor any need of a Redeemer ; as though their 
own strength was all-sufficient for every trial. 

But notwithstanding this, one thought, one calm 
glance at the facts of life, shows that we need a 
power, a truth, an instruction, far beyond what 
earth can afford or man command, to teach us, 
not only to use prosperity wisely, but how to bear 
adversity patiently, and with the hope that the 
law which governs it, will cause it to result in 
final good. That power, that truth, that instruc- 
tion, God has given in his Son. Where else can 
it be found ? If we cling not to him, to whom 
shall we cling ? Let us look these questions in 



26 THE TRUE RELIANCE. 

the face without hesitation, without flinching. — 
If we have neglected or forgotten the Savior, it 
Will tell us where we are, and what we have. 

No fact is more certain, than that death is the 
lot of man. The heavens and the earth utter 
this lesson. The lofty mountain as it crumbles, 
and the perishing flower, speak it. From it 
there is no escape. It comes at all times. It 
blights all youth's hopes. It strikes down strong 
and mature forms. It brings darkness over the 
waning sun of old age. Its voice must be heard 
and its summons must be obeyed, whenever the 
period shall arrive. Upon all, the agony of lo- 
sing friends and loved ones must fall — upon each, 
death must place its seal. This is as sure as 
fate. 

In the hour of sorrow, in the night-time of 
death, to whom shall we go, if not to the Savior ? 
We want then, whatever we may say of other 
occasions, some arm to lean upon, which can 
mingle hope with sorrow and lift the soul above 
all fears of death. Whose arm shall it be ? 
Shall it be the idea, that death is the end of con- 
scious existence ? that both body and mind will 
be extinguished in the grave ? that the tomb 
swallows alike friendship, affection, intellect, ev- 
ery thing which makes man great ? that there 
can be no life beyond the dissolution of the body ? 
and that, in meeting this doom, we are governed 
by a fate, stern, inexorable, cold as ice, which, 
with an iron hand, crushes and withers the 
thoughts as they go up in prayer to God and beg 
for continued being 1 To this we must come, if 
we leave the Savior. Look at it, then, without 
flinching ! Look directly into the face of the 
idea ! Think of yourselves, as approaching the 
last moments of life ; as bidding farewell to na- 



THE TRUE RELIANCE. 



27 



lure and its splendors ; as perfectly conscious 
that the death-time has come ! Then think of 
utter extinction of being, of ceasing to be, of be- 
coming unknowing and unknown ! And then 
ask yourselves, if it is not fearful, and if you do 
not need a truth which will take away the chill 
from the soul, and show that death, instead of be- 
ing an end, is the way to real life. Every one 
will answer in the affirmative. For who would 
not rejoice, if he could be assured*of immortal- 
ity? 

To whom, then, shall we go for this needed 
truth ? To whom shall we go beside the Savior ? 
The philosopher ca#not give i^ He may trace 
the wondrous works of nature back to the laws 
or modes of action which govern them. He may 
point out the marvelous exhibitions of the power 
and wisdom of God, which make the universe 
so grand and yet so benevolent a system. But 
he, himself a perishing being, dealing alone with 
things which are constantly undergoing change, 
has no elixir which will confer immortal youth, 
nor any facts by which he can demonstrate the 
reality of a future existence. Nor can friends 
assure us of it. They too are mortal. Nor can 
wealth purchase it. Wealth is of the earth, 
earthy ; pertains alone to the present state of be- 
ing, and perishes with the using. Beseech the 
stars for light upon the subject ! Their light 
shines alone upon change and decay. Ask earth 
for assurance ! Its laws cease not to hurry us 
to death. Appeal to your own souls for testimo- 
ny, and you find it not. Desires may go forth 
and reach hither and thither for assurance, but 
they will be driven back again, as feeble as the 
mind which gave them utterance. In truth, go 
to what man or men you may, to whatever the- 



28 



THE TRUE RELIANCE. 



oiy you please, and you can not find that proof, 
which will enable one to feel that the future life 
is a reality, and is as much a fact of the will of 
God as human existence. 

Turn now to the Savior, and you discover no 
such uncertainty. He speaks as no other per- 
son has spoken. We are impressed instinctive- 
ly with the idea, that he has authority to speak. 
And " the words of eternal life " which he has 
uttered, are jftegnant with meaning. They as- 
sure us that he was sent from God to proclaim 
the resurrection — that the miracles which he 
performed, show that the seal of the Father was 
upon him — whil%his death^fesurrection, and as- 
cension, demonstrate the truth of immortality for 
the soul. Those words unfold the glorious ti- 
dings of the reign of Jesus in the moral and 
spiritual world — a reign which will result in the 
redemption of man from evil, in wiping away all 
tears, in the cessation of all disease, in the re- 
moval of ignorance, in the destruction of error, 
in the complete deliverance of the whole race 
from death, in the purification and expansion 
of all intellectual and moral power, in making 
the entire family of Adam one in affection and 
truth, and in preparing them to offer the praise 
of holiness and knowledge to God, whose love 
formed the plan of salvation through Jesus whose 
sublime devotion to the interests of the world 
enabled him to pour out his blood for the execu- 
tion of that plan. 

This truth is, as we think every one will ac- 
knowledge, the very thing needed when bereave- 
ments make the affections sick — when death casts 
his dark shadows over us. It promises health 
to the affections — health without sickness. It 
promises life to the mind — life without death. 



THE TRUE RELIANCE. 29 

From Jesus alone is it to be obtained. It can not 
be had from any other source as a demonstration, 
which can say and prove what it says, that it 
came directly from God. And the fact that it 
agrees with our desires, that it satisfies our wants, 
that it is a strong hand which strengthens the 
feeble knee and supports the despairing soul, 
forms of itself strong proof that he who pro- 
claimed and established it is the Christ, the Son 
of the living God. 

But, putting aside the happiness which flows 
from this faith in the present life, we further re- 
mark, that Jesus is the true source of happiness 
in other respects. He has the words of instruc- 
, tion — of that knowledge of God and the Gospel, 
in a moral point of view ; which are true guides 
to real happiness. And just in proportion as the 
life approximates to that instruction, in the same 
proportion man obtains that joy which arises from 
conscious rectitude — from the calm satisfaction 
of virtue. 

We may wander out into the world, and we 
shall not find any one there who can give what 
we need, and what all desire, happiness. Some 
try fashion, show, luxury. Others seek for fame, 
for applause, for a popularity with the multitude. 
Some go out and toil early and late for wealth ; 
sacrifice principle and benevolent feeling in or- 
der to obtain it ; practice every evasive art, give 
up all love for strict integrity, and bow in wor- 
ship to gold ; to acquire riches. Some go to the 
gratification of the passions ; and drown manli- 
ness, character, prosperity, intellect, every thing 
that makes life desirable, in the bowl of intem- 
perance ; and, regardless of those dependent on 
them for support, plunge them all into abject 
despair. Others run headlong into licentious- 



30 



TUB TRUE RELIANCE. 



ness, in itself not only a fearful evil, but a hide- 
ous swamp, where venomous beasts are genera- 
ted and every moral disease is created ; where 
affection, integrity, and love for moral excellence 
are crucified and buried, and corrupted desires 
constitute the craving of the passions. And so 
on, through all the forms of sin. Men virtually 
say, To these will we go ; in them we shall find 
happiness ; they are what we need. 

Mistaken notion ! dreadful fallacy ! No dream 
of ignorance — no false maxim conceived in the 
courts of sin — no creed having origin in feelings 
governed by a revengeful spirit — can be more 
deceptive than the unreasonable conclusion, that 
sin will give happiness. No matter whether it 
be cherished by the blindness of wickedness or 
enunciated from the pulpit to sustain an unfound- 
ed dogma. It is every where and under all cir- 
cumstances, a falsity. Moral death is in it, but 
not moral life. God hath marked it as the place 
of misery. History and experience show that 
sin gnaws out the vitals of nations, and surrounds 
individuals with sources of anguish. And were 
it inscribed on the heavens in words of sun-light, 
it could be no more a fact, that " there is no peace 
to the wicked." And we may add, there can be 
no substantial and lasting happiness derived from 
a sole reliance upon the changing things of the 
world. We may wander among these things, 
with t\\e inquiry, " To whom shall we go ?" and 
find no true answer, until we turn to the Savior. 
For it is only by the power of his truth, which, 
working in the soul, teaches us to cultivate our 
minds, to expand our moral powers, to subdue 
our passions, to cling to virtue, that we can at- 
tain real, unchanging joy. His instructions, 
reaching to every duty as well as pointing out 



THE TRUE RELIANCE. 



31 



what duty is, induce obedience to God ; and in 
that obedience, the rest and peace, so frequently 
spoken of in the Scriptures, may be found.— 
Those instructions are exactly fitted to our wants 
as intellectual, moral, and social beings. And, 
as such, prove that he who uttered them, is the 
Christ, the Son of the living God, who gives to 
his followers the purest, the most constant hap- 
piness which man can enjoy. 

It is a fact then, that Jesus is the pure Foun- 
tain, whose waters pour through every commu- 
nity with refreshing power and influence. He 
is the Strength of that civilization which distin- 
guishes Christian from Pagan nations. His doc« 
trine is the Light which illumines the dark pla- 
ces of life, and shows us the sovereign mercy 
of God at work there — Light which fills, with 
its brilliant rays, the tomb itself, and enables the 
eye of faith to see the glorious land beyond. — 
He is the spiritual Ruler who will subdue the 
iron soul, warm the frozen feeling, kindle the 
energies of holiness in the long- abused mind, 
and reconcile the world to God. He is the_per- 
feet Example, upon whose soul there was not a 
stain ; upon whose character there was no pol- 
lution of sin ; upon whose confidence in God 
there was no doubting ; in whose love there 
was no revenge ; in whose devotion to men 
there was no mixture of selfishness ; in whose 
precept and practice there was no contradiction ; 
and whose whole history centers in the fact,that 
he is indeed the beloved Son of God. 

Of vast importance, then, is the Savior to us. 
And surrounded, as we are, by temptations to 
carelessness, forgetfulness, sin, and abandon- 
ment of truth ; liable as we are to be affected 
by passions, and led into ungrateful conduct in 



32 THE TRUE RELIANCE. 

regard to the cause of truth ; with what pathos 
and tenderness falls upon our ears the inquiry 
of the Savior, " Will ye also go away ?" Group 
around this inquiry all the suffering, the perse- 
cution, the mock trial, the cry of a revengeful 
people to crucify him, the death of the cross, 
and all that divine love for men which enabled 
him to pray for the Welfare of his infuriated 
foes, and how much more does it appeal to our 
feelings, our judgment — how much more do we 
appreciate the heart-felt answer of Peter, " Lord, 
to whom shall we go ? thou hast the words of 
eternal life." As beings who should make an 
impression on their day and generation by vir- 
tue and usefulness ; as beings who know that 
this earth is not their abiding place ; who know 
that the ties and joys of this world must be bro- 
ken up, and all men must leave it ; we owe it 
to ourselves to answer the question faithfully in 
our souls, to whom shall we go ? Happy shall 
we be, if believingly and practically we can say 
with the apostle, " We believe and are sure, 

THAT THOU ART THE ClIRIST, THE SON OF THE 
LIVING God. " 



SERMON III. 



THE RESURRECTION. 



" And Jesus answering, said unto them, the children of this 
world marry, and are given in marriage ; but they which 
shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the res- 
urrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in 
marriage ; neither can they die any more ; for they are 
equal unto the angels ; and are the children of God, being 
the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are 
raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the 
Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the 
God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the 
living ; for all live unto him." (Luke, 20 : 34 — 38.) 

My attention has been particularly directed to 
this passage of Scripture, by the sentence, " They 
which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that 
world and the resurrection from the dead." The 
peculiar form of this sentence has undoubtedly 
given rise to the idea, that it refers to two parties 
of individuals ; one of whom will be accounted 
worthy to attain another world and the resurrec- 
tion, while the other party will not^ be deemed 
worthy to reach this sublime destiny. The de- 
sign in pursuing this investigation is to show that 
this idea is not a legitimate conclusion from the 
language of the Savior, and to reconcile it with 
the resurrection of all the dead, and their ultim- 
ate reception of unending felicity. 

In the examination of the subject, I shall en- 
deavor to develope the important doctrine con- 
tained in the entire passage, and, in the progress 
of the development, attempt to prove that the idea of 
c 



34 THE RESURRECTION. 

one party of men being worthy and another party 
being unworthy to attain the resurrection and an- 
other life, arises from a misapprehension of the 
language of our Savior and of the circumstances 
under which he uttered the text. 

The language of the text was spoken by our 
Savior as an answer to a certain querie proposed 
to him for consideration by a number of Saddu- 
cees, who did not believe in any resurrection. 
This fact is shown in the twenty seventh verse. 
" Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, 
which deny that there is any resurrection." In 
their unbelief they framed a question which they 
thought our Savior could not answer ; andby his 
failure to answer it, they calculated that his doc- 
trine of the resurrection would be falsified, and 
they would be sustained in their scepticism. Ad- 
mitting their opinions to be correct, the querie was 
ingenious. There were seven brethren, said they, 
one of whom was married. In process of time, 
he died. The second brother then married the 
widow, and died ; and so on with the seven breth- 
ren. Then the woman died. Now, supposing 
that our Savior believed that the future state was 
like the present, and that analogy drawn from the 
present life proved marriage to exist there as well 
as here, Wmk they asked the question, Which of 
the seven brethren shall have the departed woman 
for his wife in the other world, since it is clear, 
that but one can have her ? This question was 
embarrassing only on one point. If the Savior 
founded the reality of the resurrection on the 
analogy drawn from the present life, then his 
doctrine must fail ; since the analogy of the case 
they proposed, could not hold good ; for while each 
of the seven brethren had his wife in the present 
life, but one could have her in the other life, and 
the remainder would be wifeless. 



THE RESURRECTION. 35 

But the main difficulty was, that our Savior 
did not admit, nor did he believe, that their sup- 
posed case applied to the future life ; for that life 
will not be like the present. Hence he said to 
them, " The children of this world marry, and 
are given in marriage ; but they which shall be 
accounted worthy to obtain that world and the 
resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are 
given in marriage." In this answer, the Savior 
showed that the question of the Sadducees was 
based on false premises — that there would be no 
marriage in the future world — and consequently 
there could not be the conflicting claim among 
the seven brethren, which the Sadducees suppo- 
sed. Thus, their ingenious difficulty was dispo- 
sed of at once. 

But our Savior did not rest satisfied with simply 
disposing of their cavilling speculation. He pro- 
ceeded to show them the truth of the resurrection, 
as a necessary conclusion from a passage recor- 
ded in one of the books of Moses, whose books 
they admitted to be genuine and of divine author- 
ity. And he also pointed out the nature and 
character of the subjects of the resurrection. — ■ 
He thus demonstrated the fallacy of their scepti- 
cism, in their denying the glorious truth which 
he cherished, and which he afterwards proved 
and established more clearly by his own resur- 
rection. 

At this stage of the subject, the sentence, " But 
they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain 
that world and the resurrection from the dead," 
properly comes up for consideration. What truth 
does this sentence convey? Does it teach the 
idea, that our Savior referred to two parties of 
men, one of whom is worthy and the other unwor- 
thy to attain the blessing of which he was speak- 



36 



THE RESURRECTION. 



ing ? Admit for a moment, that such an unwor- 
thy party of men does exist as the real fact devel- 
oped by the Savior, and then let us enquire what 
it is which they can not attain. The language is, 
" But they which shall be accounted worthy to 
obtain that world and the resurrection from the 
dead." Our Savior here refers to the attainment 
of the resurrection from death, and the world or 
age which is entered by passing through the res- 
urrection. This is the plain fact unfolded in his 
words. Consequently, if our Savior referred to 
an unworthy party, that party could not enter the 
future world, because they could not attain the 
resurrection. And if they had no resurrection, 
of course, they would he annihilated. This fact 
precludes the idea of their suffering in the fu- 
ture world ; for the resurrection is necessary to 
usher a soul into misery in that world ; as, with- 
out a resurrection, no person can reach that state 
to be either happy or miserable. The annihila- 
tion of the unworthy party, then, is the result of 
the interpretation which we are considering. — 
This is the only legitimate conclusion which can 
be drawn from the position, that our Savior re- 
ferred to two distinct parties of men. That our 
Savior did not designate two classes, is evident 
from the fact, that to so interpret his language 
as to make it involve the annihilation of any por- 
tion of the race, is to contradict the doctrine of 
the passage taken as a whole, and the doctrine 
taught by the apostles, viz., the resurrection of 
every individual of the human family. This will 
appear as the subject gradually unfolds itself. 

Observe one important point, which has a di- 
rect bearing upon the present examination. The 
other evangelists, in recording the answer of our 
Lord to the Sadducees, use no language which 



THE RESURRECTION. 



37 



would lead any one to suppose that two parties 
of men were designated. Look at the answer, 
as recorded by Matthew ! " Ye do err, not know- 
ing the Scriptures, nor the power of God ; for in 
the resurrection they neither marry nor are giv- 
en in marriage, but are as the angels of God in 
heaven." Mat. 22 : 29, 30. Examine particu- 
larly the parallel passage in Mark ! " Do ye 
not therefore err, because ye know not the Scrip- 
tures, neither the power of God? For when 
they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry 
nor are given in marriage ; but are as the angels 
which are in heaven." Mark 12 : 24, 25. Now 
in these passages, no one pretends to find lan- 
guage which shows that there is a class of men 
whom God will not consider worthy to attain the 
resurrection and the world into which it ushers 
the soul. And were it not for the sentence in 
Luke, it could not be supposed that our Savior 
taught such a notion. Yet if the interpretation, 
given to the language of our Lord as recorded 
by Luke, is true, involving, as it does, the anni- 
hilation of a portion of the race, would the other 
evangelists have omitted this important fact? 
Surely not. Their silence on the point, shows 
that the sentence in Lute, " they which shall be 
accounted worthy," means no more than the sen- 
tence in Matthew, " for in the resurrection," or 
the sentence in Mark, " for when they shall rise 
from the dead." And as Matthew and Mark did 
not refer to two classes of men, it follows, at least 
as a strong and clear presumption, that the lan- 
guage used by Luke, will not bear such a refer- 
ence. And the presumption becomes demon- 
strative testimony, when we bring the declaration 
of Paul into the account, that " there shall be a 
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and un- 



36 



THE RESURRECTION. 



just." Acts 24: 15. If we declare that our 
Savior affirmed of a class of unjust men, that 
they should not attain the resurrection, we make 
him and Paul contradict each other ; for Paul 
affirms that they shall be raised, not indeed in 
the character of unjust men, but like unto the 
angels. 

The idea that there is a class of men who will 
not attain the resurrection, is disproved by the 
fact, that our Savior taught, in the text itself, the 
resurrection of all men. If this position be de- 
nied, our Savior is placed partly in the error of 
which he convicted the Sadducees. They did 
not believe in the resurrection of any person. 
Now if our Savior taught that there were many 
who would not rise from the dead, then he should 
have told them that they were partly right in 
their views, and that he differed from them only 
in believing that a portion of the race would at- 
tain the resurrection. That he did not so teach 
them, is proof that he did not so believe. On the 
contrary, he refuted their error as a whole. — 
Hence he said, " Now that the dead are raised, 
even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth 
the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, 
and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of 
the dead, but of the living ; for all live unto him." 
The simple truth here stated is, that the Creator 
is not the God of dead men but of living men, and 
he is the God of living men, because, by the 
resurrection, " all live unto him." 

The same truth is taught in another portion of 
the text, in clear and explicit terms. He shows 
that the dead are raised. Now, an examination 
of the fifteenth chapter of first Corinthians, shows 
that the phrase, "the dead," signifies all men, 
because all must die. Of these our Savior said. 



THE RESURRECTION. 



39 



" Neither can they die any more ; for they are 
equal unto the angels ; and are the children of 
God, being the children of the resurrection." — 
The dead then, being raised, can not die any more; 
and, therefore, the annihilation of any person is 
impossible. It is only on this ground, that those 
passages of Scripture which refer to this subject, 
can be truly explained. Isaiah declares that 
God "will swallow up death in victory." Isa. 
25: 8. John declares that "there shall be no 
more death." Rev. 22 : 3. Paul declares that 
"death, the last enemy, shall be destroyed." 1 
Cor. 15 : 26. And when this sublime work shall 
be effected, then the challenge may be truly ut- 
tered, " O Death ! where is thy sting ? O Grave ! 
where is thy victory ?" 1 Cor. 15 : 55. Now, 
in view of these facts, how can the thought be 
entertained, that our Savior taught that there is 
a class of men who will not attain the resurrec- 
tion ? It certainly can not be entertained for a 
moment. What then, is the simple meaning em- 
braced in the sentence, " But they which shall 
be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the 
resurrection from the dead ?" A few words will 
develope that meaning. 

The Sadducees did not believe in any resur^ 
rection. It is, of course, to be rationally infer- 
red, that they did not believe any person worthy 
to obtain a resurrection ; or, in other words, they 
did not believe that men were of sufficient im- 
portance to be raised. In opposition to this idea, 
and not to show that there were two classes, one 
of whom were to obtain and the other not to ob- 
tain the resurrection, our Savior assumes the 
fact, that God, in his grace, did account men 
worthy to be raised ; and then says, that in the 
resurrection, they neither marry nor are given 



40 THE RESURRECTION. 

in marriage. As though he had said to the Sad- 
ducees, " You believe that men are not worthy 
to be raised, but God accounts them worthy ; 
and, therefore, those thus accounted worthy, shall 
live, not as they live here, but as the angels." 
And that, by those thus accounted worthy, our 
Savior referred to all men, is clearly evident 
from the fact, that he showed the resurrection of 
" the dead," of all men ; " for all live unto" God ; 
and so live, that they can not die any more. 

We are now prepared to sum up the teachings 
of this important passage. 1. Our Savior shows 
that the immortal world is not subject to the so- 
cial arrangements of marriage, which exist on 
earth. 2. He shows that the dead shall have a 
resurrection. 3. He shows that, having parta- 
ken of the resurrection, its subjects can not die 
any more, and therefore the notion of annihila- 
tion is unfounded. 4. He shows that the sub- 
jects of the resurrection shall be equal to, or 
shall become like unto, the angels of God, and, 
therefore, can not be endless sinners and endless 
sufferers. These conclusions seem to me to be 
fair and clear deductions from the language of 
our Savior, and, as such, are irresistible in es- 
tablishing the doctrine which they involve. All 
men will rise from the dead. This position can 
not be denied by any believer in the Bible. These 
men, embracing all the race, must become as the 
angels of God in heaven. No one doubts that 
the angels of God in heaven are holy and happy. 
What then is the result ? Put the facts together 
and see. All men will rise from the dead — all 
risen souls will become as the angels — the angels 
are holy and happy — therefore all men must be ho- 
ly and happy. Can you doubt this conclusion ? 



THE RESURRECTION. 



41 



Why then, O ye of little faith, do ye not believe 
the doctrine of the Restitution ? 

Such are the facts which are combined in the 
answer of our Savior to the Sadducees. These 
facts might be left, with great propriety, without 
farther consideration ; for the reason that they 
are, of themselves, full of moral life and admi- 
rable consolation. But I do not choose thus to 
leave them. There are questions connected 
with them of a very important character, which 
lead to other doctrinal points of momentous in- 
terest. Upon several of these questions a few 
brief thoughts will be bestowed, enough, at least, 
to show their bearing on the formation of Chris- 
tian faith, and to furnish food for reflection. 

It is demonstrated by the language of the Sa- 
vior, that all men will rise from the dead. Now, 
is this resurrection general^ because all men will 
rise at one point of time 1 or is it general, be- 
cause all men will rise without regard to any 
particular period of time ? Of the common idea 
of an intermediate state in which souls are sup- 
posed to live, or, as some suppose, where they 
sleep until a general resurrection in point of time, 
I have been unable to find any proof in the Scrip- 
tures, and must confess that my assent can not 
be given to it. But of a resurrection which 
commences immediately after the death of each 
individual, and which is general, not in refer- 
ence to time, but because all will rise, there is 
abundant proof. 

When Paul said, " For we know, that if our 
earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, 
we have a building of God, a house not made 
with hands, eternal in the heavens/' 2 Cor. 5: 1, 
the conclusion seems evident, that the heavenly 
house is to be entered when the earthly taberna- 
c 2 



42 



THE RESURRECTION. 



cle shall be dissolved. So, too, when he said, 
" For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a de- 
sire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far 
better ; nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more 
needful for you," Phil. 1 : 23, 24, what did the 
apostle mean ? Was it not this ? That though 
he desired to depart that he might be with his 
Savior, yet it would be better for the church that 
he should live. If he was to sleep a long period 
after his death, his dying soon would not hasten 
his being with his Lord. But if his resurrection 
was to immediately follow his death, then dying 
soon w r ould hasten his reception of the joys of 
the Savior's presence. The appearance of the 
patriarchs to the apostles on the mount of trans- 
figuration, the exclamation of Stephen when he 
was about to die, " Lord Jesus, receive my spir- 
it," together with a number of other kindred 
proofs, establish it, in my mind, as a fact, that 
the resurrection is not a very distant event but 
commences immediately after the death of each 
individual. 

The declaration of the apostle, that " we shall 
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a 
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last 
trump ; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead 
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be 
changed," does not militate with the views which 
have been stated as flowing from other passages, 
though at first sight it may appear to do so. By 
saying, " we shall not all sleep," the apostle 
meant, that those who will be alive just previous 
to the closing up of the kingdom of our Lord, 
will not die in the ordinary sense of that word ; 
that is, they will escape its attendant pains and 
sickness ; though they will undergo a process, 
perhaps similar to that of Enoch and Elijah, 



THE RESURRECTION. 



which will produce a separation of soul and body. 
But notwithstanding this fact, all men shall be 
changed in a moment, not meaning a particular 
time, but as being true of all men. It refers to 
the instantaneous change of the soul at the mo- 
ment of death into the dawnings of the resurrec- 
tion. Death is the last trumpet-call for the soul 
to step- from corruption into incorruption, which 
is a change of its place of abode. This change 
is not the resurrection itself. For illustration, 
it may be observed, that an individual may in- 
stantly pass over the little space which intervenes 
between one room and another. But it will take 
more than an instant to pass over the second 
room and observe what it contains. So the pas- 
sage of the soul from mortality to the threshhold 
of the resurrection, is instantaneous. Its perfec- 
tion in the power of the resurrection, will require 
a longer period. 

But what is the resurrection ? Is it simply a 
physical event? The common idea is, that it 
consists in uniting the soul with the resuscitated 
mortal body. There are strong and cogent rea- 
sons for rejecting this idea. Both nature and 
Scripture are against it. A man may say that 
his body will be raised from the grave. But if 
he live a few years, his body will have entire- 
ly changed by the passing off of its particles 
in insensible perspiration. And if he live to old 
age, his body will have changed several times. 
Which of these bodies will he have in the res- 
urrection ? or will he have them all 1 Men have 
been eaten by cannibals, and become assimilated 
into their bodies. Can their bodies, thus com- 
posed of the flesh of men, be each separated in- 
to bodies, perfect in themselves ? The earth is 
crowded with dead bodies. The gases of these 



THE RESURRECTION. 



bodies enter into vegetable composition. And 
vegetables, either directly, or in the form of ani- 
mal food, compose our bodies. So that in fact, 
our bodies may be entirely composed of the par- 
ticles, though in a changed state, of other hu- 
man bodies. Can tl\e man who lived thousands 
of years since, have his body in the resurrec- 
tion, when in the process of its changes, -it may 
have entered into the composition of perhaps a 
hundred other bodies ? Paul shows that these 
bodies are not to be raised, in his figure of the 
.grain. A grain is sown. Its great body de- 
composes. In the decomposition, the germ of 
its hidden life is unfolded, and makes its appear- 
ance with a new body. Is that new body, the 
old body of the seed ? A man dies. That 
death liberates the mind, which enters another 
life and is clothed with a new body, which Paul 
■calls the "spiritual body. 7 ' The mortal body 
goes back to its kindred elements. For Scrip- 
ture saith that the body shall return to the earth 
as it was. Man throws it off, as the butterfly 
casts off its old shell, as of no more worth. 

Is the resurrection purely psychological ? Or 
in other words, does it consist in merely changing 
the soul from one place to another, and in simply 
altering its external relations, without any change 
of its character, thus remaining just the same as 
it was in the present life ? Scripture and rea- 
son deny this view. It does not give the true 
sense of the original word which answers to the 
word, resurrection. Its obvious import is, the 
standing up of the soul out of a lower conditioning 
to a higher and more expanded one. The view 
under consideration, gives but little importance 
to the resurrection. Suppose that a boy be rais- 
ed from a primary school to the highest one. 



TRE RESURRECTION. 



45 



would you say that his passage from one school- 
room to another, was the true idea, the true ob- 
ject of raising him up from the lower to the 
higher ? It is only by attaining the knowledge 
which the high school confers, that he becomes 
fairly raised up. So the soul does not truly 
stand up in another life, unless it becomes ex- 
panded and purified with higher views of truth. 

Scripture is also against the notion, that the 
soul only changes its place by the resurrection. 
Even when a figurative resurrection is referred 
to, a different fact is taught. Our Savior said 
of the believer, that he " is passed from death 
unto life." John 5 : 24. Does not this state- 
ment show, that the believer, in passing from one 
condition to another, becomes exalted with moral 
strength and doctrinal truth 1 Why not so in 
the future world ? John says that when we shall 
meet the Savior, "we shall see him as he is;" 
that " we shall be like him," and that we shall 
not know what that likeness is, until it shall be 
put on. Paul says, " For now we see through 
a glass darkly , but then, face to face ; now I 
know in part ; but then shall I know even as al- 
so I am known." 1 Cor. 13 : 12. And our 
Savior declared, that we should become in the 
resurrection, as the angels in heaven. These 
passages, not only refute the idea, that the resur- 
rection will only change the place and exterior 
relations of the soul, but they prove that the soul 
will be expanded in moral holiness and intellec- 
tual strength ; which must be the case, or the 
subjects of the resurrection can never become 
like the angels. The resurrection, then, consists 
not only in change of place — not only in our 
standing up in a spiritual body — but also in our 
moral and intellectual rising into the holiness and 
knowledge of the future life. 



46 



THE RESURRECTION. 



Is this to be an instantaneous work ? I think 
not. It is granted that the passage of the soul 
over the threshhold which intervenes between 
this life and another, is instantaneous. But the 
process of the resurrection, which gives the soul 
moral and intellectual strength, is not a momen- 
tary work. Neither Scripture, reason, nor anal- 
ogy sustain such an idea. The soul will grow 
into its perfect condition. To those who die in 
faith and virtue, it will be a work of joy. To 
those who die sinful, the process will be one of 
remorse and of sorrow ; for the passage from a 
state of sin to reconciliation, is always one of re- 
gret. This work of moral discipline commen- 
ces at death. The soul, freed from the body and 
its passions, freed from all motives to sin, is, at 
once, reached by the truth of Christ ; and it 
works within, until it becomes perfectly fitted for 
its new condition ; until forgiveness is fully felt ; 
until the resurrection is perfected in immortality ; 
when it enters upon that condition of endless joy 
and knowledge, which is the gift of God for all 
his children through Christ Jesus. 

These views are necessary deductions from 
the fact, that our Savior has all power given him 
in heaven as well as on earth, to effect a work 
there as well as here. What is that work ? The 
apostle has answered that question. "For it 
pleased the Father that in him should all fulness 
dwell ; and, having made peace through the 
blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things 
unto himself ; by him, I say, whether they be 
things in earth or things in heaven." Col. 1:19, 
20. Jesus is carrying on the divine plan of rec- 
onciliation beyond death, as well as this side of 
the grave. That work he will perfect. And 
when he shall have subdued all men to himself, 



THE RESURRECTION. 



47 



then will he give up the kingdom to God, the 
Father, that he may be all in all. Beyond this 
period there will be neither sin, suffering, nor 
death. There will be perpetual life, increasing 
knowledge, and unmixed felicity for each and 
every member of the race. *So be it. To God 
belongs the glory. 



SERMON IV. 



THE SPIRIT RETURNING TO GOD. 



" Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was ; and the 
spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 
12 ; 7.) 

This passage affirms three propositions. 1. 
At death, the body shall return to earth. 2. 
God gave to man spirit or mind. 3. This spirit 
or mind shall return to God, who shall thus re- 
ceive again that which he gave in the beginning. 

These propositions are susceptible of clear 
demonstration ; of forcible illustration. That 
God endowed man with mind, by which he is 
crowned with reason, is enabled to illuminate 
long- sealed pages of nature with the light of 
discovery, and is advancing step by step into 
the holiest places of knowledge, is a proposition 
which both Scripture and reason sustain. The 
sacred historian said ; " And the Lord God 
formed man of the dust of the ground, and 
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; and 
man became a living soul." (Gen. 2 : 7.) — 
From God, human beings received all that con- 
stitutes them men, " living souls/ 5 comprising 
both body and mind. They could not receive 
mind from any other source. Mere matter has 
it not to give, and it can not give what it does 
not itself possess. Though man has mind, yet 
he can not confer that mind upon a senseless 
rock ; much less can senseless matter confer 



RETURNING TO GOD. 



49 



mind upon him. Hence, it must have come 
from a Being who possesses mind in and of him- 
self, and who not only has power to create the 
universe in wisdom, but also to endow organic 
life with intelligence. God is pure mind ; the 
great Spirit of infinity; the vast, central Sun 
of life, of moral and intellectual power ; who 
is, beyond thought, sublimer than all created 
things, for all created things were planned and 
fashioned in his boundless wisdom. To him, 
the everlasting Father ; in whose unchanging 
love all creatures securely rest, man is indebted 
for mind : that mind which raises him to an 
elevated scale of being ; by which, he has pro- 
duced the marvelous sciences ; by which, he 
has filled the earth with the wonders of skillful 
and intricate mechanism ; and which, the source 
of all intelligence and moral power in man, is 
destined to immortality, to endless life, to an 
existence which shall exceed the stars in dura- 
tion, in splendor, and glory. 

That the body, which the mind inhabits and 
uses as the instrument of all its operations, will 
return to the earth as it was, will commingle 
with its original elements, there can be no doubt. 
Material, perishing, earthly, its tendency is 
earthward, and its end is dissolution. Decay is 
its portion. The death of nations ; the ruin of 
vast cities ; the inevitable change of genera- 
tions ; the passage of time on its ebbless flood ; 
destruction in the vegetable kingdom ; the fall 
of the sere leaf nipped by the chilling frost of 
autumn ; are all proofs of the operation of the 
unavoidable law, " dust thou art ; and unto dust 
shall thou return" With sure, steady, and si- 
lent progress, the work has been going on since 
^an was organized. The ceaseless current of 



50 



THE SPIRIT 



time proceeds with stately flow, bearing millions 
into the gulf of oblivion, leaving not one to lin- 
ger on the banks of its stream. Past life, with 
all its splendid and marvelous works, has disap- 
peared like a vast phantom gliding into the dim 
years which have fled forever. Present exist- 
ence is hastening to the same doom, the same 
conclusion. There is no escape. So sure as 
man lives, so surely must he die. God has 
commanded, and the command must be obeyed. 

Equally true is it, that the spirit must return 
to the Ocean of all mind from whence it emana- 
ted. The propositions, that mind came from 
God, and that all men must die, being clearly 
true, as science and experience demonstrate, it 
seems to follow that the third proposition of the 
text must also be true. For as the mind came 
from God, to be connected with the body, thus 
making man a moral and intellectual being, 
what can be more rational, than that, when the 
body perishes, the same mind shall return to 
God. The body returns to its kindred dust. — 
The mind returns to its kindred nature. The 
apostle, in concluding an admirable exhibition 
of the plan of salvation, sustains this position. 
" For of him, and through him, and to him, are 
all things." (Rom. 11: 36.) "For of him," 
man came into existence ; for He, the only 
source of mind and life, could alone confer these 
upon organic matter — " through him," man is 
preserved in existence ; for by his Providence 
all physical and mental wants are supplied — and 
" to him" the moral and intellectual power, 
which makes man an intelligent being, returns ; 
seeks the parent-fountain ; enters into the im- 
mediate and spiritual presence of God ; dwells 
in the light which fills the universe with sublimi- 



RETURNING TO GOD. 



51 



ty and glory. For if organic forms, when dis- 
solved, seek their kindred elements, then it ap- 
pears reasonable to believe that mind, when 
separated from gross matter, will find its origi- 
nal source. 

The three positions of the text then, stand be- 
fore us as so many facts. Another fact, if it 
can be found, is necessary to complete them; 
to furnish that knowledge after which all per- 
sons seek. The third fact declares that the 
spirit shall return to God who gave it. The 
mind which is striving for truth, will ask the 
question to which this fact gives rise, for luhat 
purpose does the spirit return to God, and what 
will (hen be its condition ? This question is im- 
portant ; full of great thoughts ; and covers one 
of the most thrillingly interesting subjects in- 
volved in divine revelation. It is one which 
will come up, whenever reflection roams into the 
unseen world. Queries will present them- 
selves ; Do souls return to their Author, to have 
their impurity confirmed, to be fixed in an ever- 
increasing state of misery, and to be irrevocably 
driven from his spiritual presence ? Or do 
they return there to grow in love, to be di- 
vested of impurity, to become holy in the 
Father's holiness, and be animated by his un- 
clouded righteousness ? These queries, I know, 
are differently answered in thousands of minds. 
Some think that myriads of souls return to God, 
only to be driven from him into the pitiless 
siorms of endless night. But it seems to me on 
the contrary, that they return to him, that they 
may be purified. This fact appears to agree 
with all correct views of the divine government ; 
with the desires and prayers to which true 
Christian disposition gives utterance ; with the 



52 



THE SPIKIT 



tendencies of the moral reform-spirit, which is 
waking up the world to the high destiny of se- 
curing peace and comfort to all its members ; 
and with that noble development of punish- 
ment, which is every where being received as 
a corrective and saving power — a view which 
is a just exposition of its use, aim and re- 
sults, as a part of the divine government. 

The conclusion then, to which we rejoicingly 
cling, is, that the mind came from God as its 
Author, and that when man dies, it returns to 
God and becomes purified of all the conse- 
quences of sin, and though it may be through 
discipline, yet arrives at perfection in the ca- 
pacity to enjoy knowledge, holiness and happi- 
ness. 

There are many analogies furnished in na- 
ture, w T hich remove whatever of strangeness 
may seem to be attached to this conclusion — 
strangeness arising only from the fact, that peo- 
ple have not been in the habit of contemplating 
the vast amount of benevolence which it involves 
in its ultimate results. 

If I mistake not, it is a law in the physical 
world, that wherever corruption exists, means 
have been provided for its removal by purifying 
the corrupted thing. For instance, the atmo- 
sphere becomes measurably unfit for respiration, 
by the absorption of its most important element 
into the animal system through the lungs, and 
by the chemical changes going on in certain 
portions of the earth's surface. If this unfitness 
for respiration was suffered to continue un- 
checked, the air would soon be the instrument 
of universal death. But by a beautiful and 
beneficent arrangement, purification is constant- 
ly at work. For while animals throw out that, 



RETURNING TO SOD. 



53 



which if breathed in its unmixed condition, is 
destructive of lifn, the vegetable kingdom draws 
its vigor from this deadly element, and at the 
same time, gives forth that which is necessary 
for animal existence. By this and other agen- 
cies, the corrupted atmosphere becomes purified 
and restored to a healthful state. 

In a far wilderness, see a spring bubbling 
forth its constant stream from beneath the shadow 
of an overhanging rock. Its water is pure and 
limpid. It is clear as crystal. But as it wan- 
ders through tangled forests, comes in contact 
with poisonous metals, and flows over muddy 
plains, it becomes impure and unfit for use. — * 
But it had not this contamination when it left its 
native fountain. This was acquired after lea- 
ving that source. Watch it until it enters the 
ocean. It is then impure. Yet it does not re- 
main thus. Means have been prepared in di- 
vine Wisdom, to separate from it all foreign 
admixture ; to restore it to its native excellence. 
It mingles with the deep sea, in whose sonorous 
notes God speaks his sublimity, where it endures 
the process of restoration. By and by, the glo- 
rious sun draws its vapory forms into the sky by 
his lines of heat, where, after perhaps glittering 
in the bow of God's gracious promise, it falls in 
refreshing showers, or in the gentle dew which 
sparkles in the morning, composing nature's 
beautiful diamonds to glitter on the flowers, and 
sinking into the earth, fills the wells and springs 
with cool, delicious water. So that in all its 
wanderings and its impurity, its aim is certain, 
and its result, purity. 

The analogy growing out of these facts, re- 
moves all seeming strangeness from the idea, 
that God has also established means in the moral 



54 



THE SPIRIT 



world for the final purification of mind, and 
that it returns to him for thi# purpose. And 
what is true of one mind, is true of all minds. 
No individual soul, in its earthly state, is entire- 
ly pure and free from evil. Error, sin, corrup- 
tion, are more or less attached to every person. 
There can be no doubt of this fact. Entire 
freedom from the consequences of these evils, is 
to be attained only in the immediate presence of 
God. He has formed the plan, established the 
means, and the result thereof is certain. This 
plan is one of the most glorious features of di- 
vine government ; one of the most benignant 
acts of a Father's love. The spirit shall return 
to God who gave it. Not for ruin. Not for 
misery. Not for perpetuated evil. But to throw 
off the chains which bound it. To emerge from 
the clouds of error and sin. To expand with 
knowledge ; to grow in affection ; to increase 
in the capacity to peruse and understand the 
wonders recorded in the sublime volumes of the 
physical and spiritual worlds ; to become like 
the angels ; to dwell in an air which has no 
corruption, a health which has no sickness, a 
truth which has no error, a virtue which has 
no sin, a love which has no hatred and a life 
which has no death. These are the noble 
results of the return of the spirit to its native 
source. 

This great work will be accomplished through 
the agency of the Savior. He, the true image 
of the Father's perfections ; the brightest ray 
of divine love ; the noblest monument of hu- 
man virtue ; the soul of benevolence ; — he, 
whose heart ever throbbed with strong pulsa- 
tions of devotion for the welfare of man ; — he, 
the price of a world's salvation ; whose truth is 



RETURNING TO GOD. 



55 



becoming a fountain of healthful faith and moral 
life for the human family ; — he is the appointed 
one, by whom the process of regeneration and 
purification of the race is to be accomplished. 
The nature of his office and of the results grow- 
ing out of it, is beautifully described by the 
prophet. " But who may abide the day of his 
coming 1 And who shall stand when he appear- 
eth ? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like ful- 
ler's soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and 
purifier of silver ; and he shall purify the sons 
of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that 
they may offer unto the Lord an offering in 
righteousness." (Mai. 3 : 2, 3.) Now, whether 
this language refers to a particular body of men 
or to all men, or not, so far as the present sub- 
ject is concerned, is of no moment. It unfolds 
the nature and character of the Savior's office 
and work, by a comparison which all can un- 
derstand. 

When gold, for instance, is taken from the 
mountains, it is more or less mixed with foreign 
substances. The object of refining it, is to 
separate it from these foreign substances. To 
obtain it in a pure state, it is subjected to two or 
three processes, the principal one of which is 
this. A quantity of lead is added to the impure 
gold ; both are placed in a crucible, and sub- 
jected to heat. The lead, by forming an oxide, 
separates the foreign metals from the gold. — 
Various prismatic colors appear on the fused 
gold, quickly succeeding each other. Sudden- 
ly it brightens, and its surface becomes highly 
luminous. The refiner sits and watches the pro- 
cess. And when, as it is said, he can see his 
face reflected in the luminous gold, the work is 
done and the metal is purified. 



56 



THE SPIRIT 



The Savior is a purifier in the moral world. 
Mind is the thing which he refines. He subjects 
it to the fire of truth, of punishment, or of moral 
influences, or if required, of all these combined. 
He watches his work, as the refiner sits at his 
crucible. And when he sees his own moral face 
reflected in the mind freed from sin, error, and 
mortality, his object is completed. That mind 
will offer an offering to the Lord in righteous- 
ness ; an offering of holy thoughts, of virtue, of 
knowledge. 

The same fact is developed in the language 
of the apostle. " For other foundation can no 
man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
Now,if any man build upon this foundation, gold, 
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble ; eve- 
ry man's work shall be made manifest ; for the 
day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed 
by fire ; and the fire shall try every man's work, 
of what sort it is. If any man's work abide 
which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a 
reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he 
shall suffer loss ; but he himself shall be saved ; 
yet so as by fire." (1. Cor 3 : 11—15.) Christ 
is the only true foundation. As a man builds in 
regard to him, so will his present reward be. — 
If he build thereon with the gold, silver, and pre- 
cious stones of faith, he will find happiness all 
his days. And this is proof that the fire has 
purified him from moral evil, and that he needs 
only to be delivered from human! imperfection 
and mortality, in order to receive the splendid 
gift of immortal life and joy, which God hath 
prepared for all his children. But if he build 
thereon with wood, hay, and stubble of sin and 
error, he suffers loss of happiness ; he endures 
misery ; hejinds the way of transgressors hard. 



RETURNING TO GOD. 



57 



Yet, says the apostle, " he himself shall be sa- 
ved," though he pass through the fire of pun- 
ishment. The refiner's fire meets him. And 
though he suffers, often severely in the opera- 
tion, still that fire is purifying, and consumes 
sin and disobedience, until final deliverance 
comes. 

Here, then, is the nature of the Savior's office. 
He is the appointed way to the Father, to perfect 
moral and spiritual life. This is his work. His 
love is engaged in it. And he will not rest, un- 
til he shall see his own faultless purity reflected 
in every soul. Then the gold will have been 
separated from the dross. 

He is the powerful influence by whom the 
great central Source of mind and purity will 
attract all souls to himself. Can any thing pre- 
vent the accomplishment of this plan 1 Can 
the opposing will of man frustrate it ? That 
he came to make in agreement with the will of 
God. Can sin prevent it ? That he came to 
destroy. Can error overthrow it ? That he 
will scatter with the light of truth. Can death 
thwart it 1 That he will swallow up in victory. 
Hence it is stated by the apostle, that Jesus 
will subdue all things to himself. As he sub- 
dues one, so he will subdue all, in reconciliation. 
And when he has thus subdued them, he will 
yield his mediatorial reign, and become subject 
unto the Father, that God may be all in all. — 
No sin nor suffering absorbing the powers of the 
soul, God's love, purity, and knowledge shall 
fill every mind with the quietness of peace for- 
ever, and every creature shall have thus re- 
turned to the Master and Source of all moral 
and intellectual life. 

This is the sublime plan which God has in- 

D 



58 



RETURNING TO GOD. 



stituted in the world of mind. For wise pur- 
poses, he created man and endowed him with 
reason. For beneficent objects, he subjected 
him to pain, error, sin, and death. For the 
most glorious ends, all souls shall return to him, 
through the Savior. "For of him, and through 
him, and to him, are all things ; to whom be 
glory forever. 55 This is the tendency, the ful- 
filment of the divine government, in regard to 
the human family. It is in agreement with the 
nature of God, which is love ; with the nature of 
the Redeemer's mission, which is saving, puri- 
fying, and exalting ; with the aspirations, hopes, 
and prayers of all true Christians, which are 
benevolent; and reach as far as man is found 
— with the wants of the race, which stretch out 
their arms for salvation, redemption — with the 
pleadings of dying man, • who prays for the 
healthful air of immortal existence — with the 
spirit of all genuine reform-movement, which 
needs a central Sun of love for all, from which 
to draw its powers of regeneration — and with 
the purpose and pleasures of God, who sent 
the Son as " the Savior of the world." 



SERMON V-. 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION, 

u Therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment came upon 
all men to condemnation ; even So, by the righteousness of 
one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of 
life." (Romans 5; 18.) 

Amid the vicissitudes and changes to which 
human existence is subjected, there is no thought 
which so pacifies Hmited reason and satisfies th^ 
soul, as the thought that an infinite Mind reigns 
over the universe with supreme wisdom and un- 
limited power ; and that, by his wisdom and 
goodness he is working out a vast and beneficent 
scheme which was formed in his infinite love, to 
subserve happiness as its ultimate end. It gives 
peace to the soul in its restless wanderings after 
truth ; because, amid the mysteries which envel- 
ope the great questions of human life and desti- 
ny, and the aims and uses of evil, there comes 
home the conviction that God, with whom there 
is neither mystery nor darkness, will do all things 
well. 

But this thought becomes invested with a far 
more glowing light, if, amid the evils of sin and 
suffering, disease and pain, decay and death, we 
can look beyond them, and see a period in which 
the grace and mercy of God will destroy all 



60 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



these evils, and make each soul the recipient of 
knowledge and felicity. With such a view, the 
darkness that has enveloped the object of evil, 
becomes, in a great measure, removed. Though 
the particular bearing of much that transpires 
on earth upon the ultimate accomplishment of the 
purposes of God, can not be seen by the limited 
extent of human mind, yet, in the presence of that 
scene in which every individual shall be clothed 
with perfect purity and a happy immortality, evil 
becomes transient ; whose existence divine Wis- 
dom foresaw and whose direction divine Love 
controls, that it may be swallowed up by the 
transcendent glories of universal and perpetuated 
good. Such a sublime result gives new and 
winning attractions to the divine government. — 
It presents God in the endearing relation of a 
Father, who holds all his children securely in 
the arms of benignant Providence, and who, by 
enlightening truth, by winning affection, and dis- 
ciplinary chastisement, will work out " a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory " 
for the race. It demonstrates the position, that 
divine Wisdom has selected the plan which in- 
volves the good of the entire family of man, and 
that divine Power, guided by divine Love, will 
execute that plan, to his own glory, to the salva- 
tion of men, and to the triumph of the cross of 
the Redeemer. 

Notwithstanding the difference of opinion 
which exists among the various sects, in regard 
to the ultimate destiny of men, yet the practical 
application of the spirit of this grand truth to hu- 
man society, is what people are unconsciously 
it may be grasping after, and whose power they 
are constantly developing. In the benevolent 
operations of the day, we hear a voice which is 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



€2 



becoming louder and more winning with tones 
of love, telling us of plans which aim to secure 
the happiness of all, as far as human fallibility 
can accomplish it. As knowledge and the Chris- 
tian spirit have measurably delivered men from 
passion and selfishness, and brought them into the 
heavenly influences of intellectual and moral 
powers ; so have their desires and efforts increas- 
ed, to lessen the sufferings and enlarge the en- 
joyment of men. The application of the gentle, 
but powerful law of kindness to the management 
and cure of the insane — the earnest attempts 
which are being constantly made to infuse a re- 
formatory spirit into the punishment of crimi- 
nals — the cry for the abolishment of slavery — the 
eloquent voices which are raised for peace in- 
stead of war — the powers which are laboring 
to deliver each individual man from centralized 
tyranny, and to secure his protection and comfort 
— the fervent P r 9^|f r gushing from a glowing be- 
nevolence for therralvation of the whole race — 
the labors which are gradually and surely de- 
priving creeds of their partialism and selfishness 
— are all conceived in a spirit, which, if carried 
out to its legitimate results, must lead to the belief, 
that divine Goodness, directed by divine Wisdom, 
Power, and Love, must ultimately triumph over 
evil, and establish universal felicity. 

This result, to which society is tending, is 
proved by the Scriptures. God has marked it 
as his plan. By unfailing promises ; by infallible 
prophecies ; bv the purposes of the mission of 
Jesus ; by the inspiration of the apostles ; God 
has demonstrated the final victory of good over 
evil, and furnished that truth as one of the grand 
points in Christian doctrine and faith. 

No one passage in the Scriptures presents 



62 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



clearer truth, on this point, than the text and 
its context ; nor one whose examination affords 
more satisfaction to the soul, more joy to its de- 
sires, and more rejoicing to its faith. Let us, 
then, look at it reverently and with earnestness, 
to see its whole teachings and to understand its 
entire import. 

One peculiarity of the text, as a proof of the 
Restitution, is the strong antithesis, or contrast of 
facts, which it presents ; in which the one is made 
to balance the other, or rather to overcome the 
opposition of the other. To explain this idea 
more fully, we refer to the following passage : 
"As in Adam all die, even so, in Christ shall all 
be made alive." The first position, here taken, 
is, that all men f are imperfect and mortal like 
Adam, and are, therefore, said to die in Adam, 
because he was the common source of the race. 
Opposed to this position, is the fact, that all men 
shall be made alive in Christy Here, then, we 
have the contrast of imperfecifon and death in 
Adam with perfection and life in Christ. And, 
to show that perfection and life in Christ are able 
to overcome the imperfection and death in Adam, 
which are opposed to the work of the Savior, the 
words, "even so," are added; which prove that 
the good, on the one hand, is capable of overcom- 
ing the evil on the other ; and that so far as im- 
perfection extends over the race, so far will per- 
fection in Christ go to counteract and correct it. 
If this were not so ; if the life in Christ were not 
sufficient to meet the death of all men in Adam, 
there could be no " even so" no equality or bal- 
ancing of forces. The contrast, in that case, 
would show that death was too strong for life, and 
that there were some whom Jesus had no power 
to redeem from the dominion of sin and mortality. 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



63 



The text and its context establish the truth 
by this kind of satisfactory argument. Let us 
observe it, verse by verse, and with care and 
thoughtfulness. " But not as the offense, so also 
is the free gift. For if through the offense of 
one, many be dead, much more the grace of God, 
and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Je- 
sus Christ, hath abounded unto many." Here, 
we have the contrast between the offense or sin- 
fulness of all men, like their imperfect progeni- 
tor, Adam, and the gift of universal purification 
in Christ, the all-glorious and perfect Redeemer. 
And the argument is still stronger, from the fact 
that the gift of redemption by the grace of God, 
manifested in the Redeemer, hath abounded much 
more than the sinfulness of men, and, therefore, 
is abundantly capable of meeting and overcom- 
ing the evil opposed to it. 

The word " many " does not refer to a limited 
number of persons, but to all men — to all for 
whom Jesus shed his blood. Not only does the 
phrase " all men," in the text itself, sustain this 
position, but it is admitted by those who do not 
believe that all men will be saved by the risen 
Savior. Mc Knight says that the word " many" 
stands for the phrase " all mankind." Dr. Clarke 
says, " That the oi polloi, the many, of the apos- 
tle, here means all mankind, needs no proof to 
any but that person who finds himself qualified 
to deny that all men are mortal. And if the many, 
that is, all mankind, have died through the offense 
of one ; certainly the gift by grace, which abounds 
unto tous pollous, the many, by Jesus Christ, must 
have reference to every human being." These 
are just reasons. They are sustained by the na- 
ture and extent of the mission and sacrifice of 
the Redeemer, and, as we shall discover, by 



64 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



the plain teachings of the whole passage itself. 
The apostle proceeds with his argument. — 
" And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the 
gift ; for the judgment was by one to condemna- 
tion ; but the free gift is of many offenses unto 
justification. For if by one man's offense, death 
reigned by one ; much more they, which receive 
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteous- 
ness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. — 
Therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment 
came upon all men to condemnation, even so, by 
the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon 
all men unto justification of life. For as by one 
man's disobedience, many were made sinners, 
so by the obedience of one shall many be made 
righteous." Here a contrast is given between 
the evils of sin, which prevail more or less with 
all men, and the grace, righteousness, and life 
in Christ, which are to overcome those evils. — 
On the one hand, there is the offense, the con- 
demnation, the unrighteousness, and the death of 
sin ; and, on the other, we have the righteous- 
ness, the gift of grace, and the justification of life 
in Christ. And the last is capable of overcom- 
ing the first. For if sin made men endure the 
death of sin, much more shall they reign in the 
life of righteousness that is in Christ. And as 
the condemnation of sin came upon all men, even 
so shall the justification of life come upon the 
same all men. 

The argument of the apostle is complete. For 
he evidently did affirm that the blessings, which 
are in Christ for the human family, are abundant- 
ly capable of overcoming the evils of sin. He 
advanced the same idea, when he placed the in- 
corruption, glory, power, and spiritual body of 
the heavenly life, over against the corruption, 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



65 



dishonor, weakness, and the natural body of the 
mortal life ; thereby showing that the heavenly 
life will swallow up or destroy the mortal life 
with all its imperfections. This fact is proved 
by 1 Cor. 15 : 47, 48, 49. " The first man is of 
the earth, earthy ; the second man is the Lord 
from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they 
that are earthy ; and as is the heavenly, such are 
they also that are heavenly. And as we have 
borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear 
the image of the heavenly." Now as all men 
are of the earth and ultimately must partake of 
the heavenly, it follows that the heavenly life in 
Christ must destroy all earthly imperfections. 
And, with the same clearness, he affirms that the 
condemnation of sin which came upon all men, 
, shall be overcome by the gift of grace and right- 
eousness in Christ, so that the justification of life 
shall reach all men. And if so, then must all 
men ultimately be redeemed from the power of 
sin and death, and adopted into the heavenly 
kingdom. 

The remarks of an eminent scholar apply well 
here. "As extensively, as deeply, as univer- 
sally, as sin, whether implying the act o f trans- 
gression, or the impure principle from which the 
act proceeds, or both — hath reigned, subjected the 
whole earth and all its inhabitants ; the whole 
soul, and all its powers and faculties, unto death, 
temporal of the body, spiritual of the soul, and eter- 
nal of both ; even so, as extensively, deeply, and 
universally, might grace reign, filling the whole 
earth, and pervading, purifying, and refining the 
whole soul ; through righteousness, through this 
doctrine of free salvation, by the blood of the 
Lamb, and by the principle of holiness transfused 
through the soul by the holy Ghost ; unto eter- 

i) 2 



66 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



nal life, the proper object of an immortal spirit's 
hope, the only sphere where the human intellect 
can rest, and be happy in the place and state 
where God is ; where He is seen as he is ; and 
where he can be enjoyed without interruption in 
an eternal progression of knowledge and beati- 
tude : by Jesus Christ our Lord as the cause of 
our salvation, the means by which it is commu- 
nicated, and the source whence it springs. Thus 
w r e find, that the salvation from sin here, is as 
extensive and complete as the guilt and contam- 
ination of sin ; death is conquered, the devil con- 
founded, hell disappointed, and sin totally destroy- 
ed." Dr. A. Clarke, on Rom. 5 : 21. Now, if 
" death is conquered, hell disappointed, and sin to- 
tally destroyed," the idea of eternal death for 
body and soul must be a fallacy, and without 
proof in the great plan of grace and salvation. 

Clear, however, as all this is, in its bearing 
upon the great question of the final triumph of 
Jesus over sin and death, the apostle adds strength 
to it, by following up the subject with this im- 
portant statement. " Moreover, the law entered 
that the offense might abound. But where sin 
abounded, grace did much more abound ; that as 
sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace 
reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life, 
by Jesus Christ our Lord." The law gave a 
knowledge of sin, by which men understood their 
sinfulness. But though sin abounded, grace did 
much more abound, that the reign of grace might 
destroy the reign of moral evil. Let us strive 
to grasp the fact here expressed, by grace abound- 
ing beyond sin and moral death. Take an illus- 
tration. On a certain occasion, our Savior went 
into a vessel with some of his disciples, for the 
purpose of crossing the sea of Galilee. A ter- 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



67 



rible storm arose, which threatened to swallow 
them up. The disciples besought Jesus to save 
them. He arose, and spake to the storm. The 
wind and waves obeyed him, and old Galilee 
settled into a quiet calm. Could. Jesus have per- 
formed this great work, if his power had not 
abounded beyond the power of the storm ? It is 
evident that he calmed the raging tempest, only 
because his power was the greatest, and was 
adequate to the work. 9 

So grace can not abound over and beyond sin 
and moral death, if sin and moral death shall re- 
sist all the attempts of that grace to destroy them, 
and shall exist without end. For how can any 
thing abound over and beyond that which has 
no end ? It is evidently impossible. Grace, then, 
must go beyond sin ; must check its progress ; 
destroy its reign ; in order to much more abound 
than imperfection and suffering. It will do this, 
The condemnation of all men for sin, must give 
place to the justification of life for all men. The 
moral death must cease, when the power of Je- 
sus shall have destroyed the dominion of sin over 
the children of God. And when the glorious 
work shall have been accomplished ; when sin 
and moral death shall no more have power to en- 
slave the soul ; then the assembled race of ran- 
somed sinners will shout, " grace, grace unto it." 
For it is by the grace or favor of God, emanating 
from his infinite and exhaustless love, that the 
plan will be accomplished. The apostle has 
enunciated this fact in the text-chapter itself. In 
one sentence, full of thoughts which thrill the 
soul with admiration ; full of divine truth ; full 
of pleading tenderness ; he says, " But God com- 
mendeth his love toward us, in that, while we 
were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Yes ; 



68 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



God's love regarded his children, even though 
they were dead in sin. He sent Jesus, as the 
strongest proof, the most glorious exhibition, the 
brightest smile of that love. By him, he unfolded 
the plan of salvation. His unspotted holiness 
reflected its purity. His sufferings, painful and 
trying, showed its power to sustain his soul. His 
flowing blood sealed it as from God. His resur- 
rection developed its object to destroy death. — 
His ascension to the Spiritual world, to rule and 
reign, demonstrates the certainty of success in 
die work of salvation. In the might and power 
of the love of God, Jesus will not cease his labors, 
until it shall be finished ; and the will, purpose, 
and pleasure of God shall have complete sway. 
Chastisement will subdue the stubborn and sin- 
ful, and Jesus will restore them to moral health. 
Truth will enlighten the errorist. The Father's 
house will attract the wandering. Immortality 
will swallow up death and the grave. Univer- 
sal purity will remove all impurity. The justi- 
fication of life will end the condemnation of sin. 
Grace will reign in every soul. Jesus, in his 
love and holiness, will dwell in all minds. They 
will dwell in him, as the fountain of truth and 
righteousness. And God, " our Father who art 
in heaven," shall be " all in all." 

Here is the embodiment of the highest con- 
ceptions of good of which the mind is capable. 
In its teachings, human existence is no longer an 
aimless thing ; an unsolved problem, clogged 
by doubts and fears. Evil is no longer a vast 
power, which stretches into futurity, and estab- 
lishes an endless bondage for myriads of souls. 
Light breaks in upon our pathway with morning 
brilliancy. Jesus, the noblest development of 
divine power and holiness, is the great contrast 



UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 



69 



of all evil, and, before him, it shall melt away, 
as fog disappears before a powerful sun. 

It is a glorious truth ; one, not only calculated 
to give peace to the soul, when the storms of trial 
blow bitterly ; but one which glows with the ra- 
diance of moral influence. Shall I be told, that 
the contemplation of this sublime plan will stir 
up the passions with the wildest fury of iniquity ? 
that its subduing love and elevating views have 
no power to excite virtuous thoughts and resolu- 
tions ? Then I fall back upon the apostle, as my 
defense against these imputations. For after 
enunciating the grand truth of the reign of the 
divine life over sin and moral death, he anticipa- 
ted the objection, that the boundless extent of the 
grace of God would lead to sin. " What shall 
we say then ? Shall we continue in sin, that 
grace may abound ? God forbid. How shall 
we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein ? 
Know ye not, that so many of us as were bapti- 
zed into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his 
death ? Therefore we are buried with him by 
baptism into death, that like as Cnrist was raised 
up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even 
so we also should walk in newness of life.' 5 Rom. 
6 : 1 — 4. " Know ye not, that to whom ye yield 
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are 
to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or 
of obedience unto righteousness? But God be 
thanked, that, (though) ye were the servants of 
sin, yet ye have obeyed from the heart that form 
of doctrine which was delivered unto you." vss. 
16, 17. So far from believing that there was any 
vicious tendency in the great fact of grace 
abounding over sin and death, the apostle discov- 
ered the highest motives to obedience. Having 
adopted the truth, believers are bound by the 



70 UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 

strongest ties of gratitude, to obey the Redeemer. 
The contemplation of the love of God, displayed 
in his gracious regard for the world ; reflection 
upon the glories of immortality and felicity: 
baptism into the pure and loving spirit of Jesus ; 
the winning attractions of his holy life ; all tend 
to elevate the soul, and to raise it above the 
thought and practice of sin, even as the gentle 
forces of light and heat win the plant to give forth 
its brightest flowers, its most delicious odor, and 
its richest fruit. And that person who is anima- 
ted by a reverent devotion to truth ; who is 
warmed by -love to the Giver of that truth, and 
to him who died that it might be proved to be the 
voice of God ; ha # s the greatest possible motives 
to follow virtue. For beside these, there are no 
motives so powerful and subduing, to bring the 
sinner in tearful penitence to the cross of Christ. 



SERMON VI. 



TRUTH AND CENTRALIZATION. 



" And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men 
unto me." (John 12: 8.2.) 

These words embody sublime truth, which is 
of vast import and full of blessing, and is the 
central power of civilization, human brother- 
hood, and salvation. And when it shall every 
where be prevalent ; when its spirit shall be 
diffused in literature, and shall direct the aims 
and results of legislation ; when it shall be the 
basis of all action between man and man : then, 
as the . fulfilment of themes which glow on the 
pages of prophecy, the earth will rejoice in 
universal peace, and virtue be secured by a sin- 
cere and enlightened worship of God and the 
Lamb. Let us then look for this truth and its 
tendencies. 

The plain affirmation which our Savior ut- 
tered in the text, is, that if he should be raised 
up from the earth on the cross, and there seal 
with his blood the mission upon which he was 
sent, he would attract all men to himself by the 
power of truth and love. It is true, that the 
certainty of drawing all men to himself rested 
upon a contingency, which, if not fulfilled, 



72 



TRUTH AND 



would stamp the entire plan with failure. But 
it is important to observe with whose conduct 
that contingency was connected. It did not 
depend on the fluctuating will nor the wayward 
actions of man. Its basis was surer. Its aim 
better secured. That contingency belonged to 
the Savior. It could not fail, unless he became 
disobedient ; unless his love for man ceased ; 
unless he lost confidence in the plans of God ; 
and, frightened by the terrors of the cross, 
should shrink away from enduring its horrors. 
It did not fail. He ivas raised up from the earth. 
He did die on the cross. He did become obe- 
dient unto death. And, as the cause was estab- 
lished, it follows that the end thereof is sure and 
certain. 

An illustration will make this fact appear 
still stronger. Suppose, that previous to the 
creation of the solar system, Deity had said, 
" and I, if I create the sun, will make it the 
central source of light, heat, and motion to all 
the planets," it is obvious that this plan could 
fail only by a failure to create the sun. For 
just so sure as the sun was created, so surely 
would light, heat, and motion be imparted to the 
bodies which revolve around it. Nothing could 
be more certain. 

This is a case parallel with that which the 
Savior presented. He connected his death, as 
the concluding seal of his mission, with the 
drawing of all men to himself. The pouring 
out of his blood, the final proof that he was sent 
from the Father, was but the finishing of the 
system by which he was to attract all men, as 
river waters run into the ocean-heart of the 
earth. And, as he was raised up from the earth 
and suffered amid the terrible scenes of the cru- 



CENTRALIZATION. 



73 



cifixion ; as in that hour, he said, " it is finished;" 
so it is evident that the result is sure, and all 
men will be drawn to him. There can be no fail- 
ure in this work, unless the means given to the 
Savior are inadequate to accomplish the pro- 
posed end. And to say that they are inadequate, 
is to impeach the wisdom of God who formed 
the plan, sent his Son to execute it, and yet did 
not give him sufficient power to finish it. It is 
enough for cmfidence, to believe that God is a 
wise Master-Wilder and can not err. We trust 
implicitly in the declaration of the Savior, just 
as he uttered it. He will draw all men unto him- 
self. Truth will enlighten the ignorant. Pun- 
ishment will reform the sinful. Grace will 
redeem the erring. Immortality will deliver 
the dying. By these means, Jesus will attract 
all souls to his rule and reign, so that they will 
bow* to his love and rejoice in his triumph over 
error, sin, and death. 

Now, in this declaration of our Lord, the en- 
tire divine scheme of salvation is unfolded, with 
its bevenolent means and grand purposes. It 
shows us, that God had a sublime and benignant 
intention in view, in the creation of men — an 
intention, which, going beyond present, tran- 
sient evil, steadily operates for holy ends ; for 
the deliverance of mind from all clogs to its in- 
finite expansion and improvement. Men may 
wander away into midnight error and into the 
pollution of vice, where they find bitterness and 
anguish. But they can no more go beyond 
the influence of the love of God in Christ Jesus, 
than a comet can fly from the central power 
which holds it in its course. The Savior will 
draw them back, and bind them to entire sub- 
mission by reconciliation, virtue, and knowledge. 



74 



TRUTH AND 



This is the truth which the Scriptures teach. — 
They proclaim it in promise, in prophecy, in 
the hallowed words of the Savior, and in apostolic 
preaching, as the subject of God's holy plea- 
sure and wise counsel. This might easily be 
shown. But I purpose now to trace out a moral 
argument in its favor. I desire to demonstrate 
the position, that, as the truth shows that Jesus 
will draw all men unto himself, and that he is 
therefore the central power to which all souls 
must come in love and obediend^so this truth 
is itself the central influence, towards which, 
in this world, all genuine reform-movement and 
benevolent principle tend — and hence, that the 
fact which the truth embraces, must be real ; 
must be of God ; because it composes the 
source of all philanthropy, of every effort to ele- 
vate the condition of the race, and harmonizes 
with every attempt to increase the sum of hu- 
man happiness. 

We maintain the position, that God loves all 
his children, and that this is proved by the fact 
that he has given Jesus power to draw all men 
unto himself . This is Christian doctrine. And 
the moral deduction from it is,' that as God loves 
all, so we should love all, pray for all, and do 
good to all as we have opportunity. This is 
Christian practice. This moral practice and 
spirit, the real offspring of God's universal 
love, are progressing in the world ; are ac- 
quiring larger influence and nobler triumphs. 
Every fresh exhibition of them ; every new 
manifestation of their tendencies ; form so many 
proofs, that men are approaching its doctrine, 
and that they will finally adopt the central fact 
and source of all moral action, viz., that God is 
consulting the good of all his children, by giving 



CENTRALIZATION. 



75 



the Savior power to draw all men unto himself. 
With no doctrine can benevolent principles 
sympathize and harmonize, save with this of 
God's universal love, which is their kindred 
source and centre ? For if benevolent princi- 
ple and philanthropic action are ever to diffuse 
themselves thoroughly in society, men must 
cherish views of the common brotherhood of the 
race, and at least feel, even if they do not reali- 
zingly believe, that to do good to all, is an imita- 
tion of the Father's mercy and care. But such 
expansive views have no connection with errors 
founded in partiality. Take the old notion that 
God hates sinners and will never relax his 
hate, and what possible inducement can it fur- 
nish the soul for loving them and laboring for 
their welfare ? The creed is no better, which 
advocates the opinion, that a certain number 
were elected to be saved, and the remainder 
were reprobated to utter and irrevocable ruin, 
and that these numbers are so certain and defi- 
nite, that they can be neither added to nor di- 
minished. Upon individuals of certain tem- 
peraments, these dogmas are very hurtful, by 
inducing a peculiar kind of pride which leads 
them to despise reprobates. Why should it not 
be so ? God hates them. And if the command 
be obeyed, he ye followers of God as dear chil- 
dren, hate must follow as a legitimate result. — 
There is much of this feeling, think of it as we 
may. There are thousands who despise those 
of a contrary faith, or those who may be sinful. 
And they are confirmed in this feeling, by the 
mistaken view, that they are the favorites of 
heaven, and that the others are its irreconcilable 
foes. It is impossible to find in these errors, 
any incentive, any motive, to the exercise of 



76 



TRUTH AND 



expansive principles and of the divine truth, 
that men, however degiaded, however sinful, are 
still our brothers, and as such are deserving of 
efforts to redeem them. For if we believe that 
they are worthless ; that they are utterly and - 
thoroughly depraved ; that the day of mercy 
has passed for them ; why should attempts be 
made to save them ? We might as well strive 
to restore the dead to life. 

It is with these old errors, that the better, 
practical views of men are struggling. The 
vast central truth, that the love of God is uni- 
versal, and that this love is commended to the 
world by the death of the Redeemer, is throw- 
ing out its rays of light on every side. Men 
are unconsciously catching these rays, and are 
embodying them, not so much in their faith, as 
in their enlarged benevolence for the unfortu- 
nate and fallen. This benevolence, continually 
expanding as it is, its field of operations, is slow- 
ly but surely, centralizing the faith of men in 
the thrilling fact, that Jesus, the sun of the moral 
world, which has arisen with the balm of healing 
in its wings, will draw all men to his rule and 
reign. 

How gloriously this fact is being elicited in 
the benevolent operations of the age. What 
exciting changes have taken place in the 
views and feelings of humanity, within a com- 
paratively short period. There was a time 
when the feudal system prevailed — when the 
grand lord was pampered in luxury and tyran- 
ny, and the workers were wretched slaves, 
ground down by oppression, ignorance, and pov- 
erty. But gradually, as the enormous wrong 
of this state of things dawned on the minds of 
men, moral powers struggled into existence, 



CENTRALIZATION. 



11 



which came down upon this system like a whirl- 
wind, and dashed it into irremediable ruin.- — 
Friends of the working masses increased in 
number. Better views in regard to their rights, 
to their education, to their elevation, began to 
prevail. These influences have had their re- 
sults, in past time, in giving degrees of mental 
and physical freedom to the oppressed. They 
are becoming more prevalent in the present 
day. They are converting friend after friend 
to their cause. They appear prominently in 
certain departments of literature. They are 
increasing respect for the laboring classes. — 
Accordingly, these classes are rising in know- 
ledge, in comfort, in the protection of their rights. 
These are the results of enlightened principle, 
of benevolent action. Here we see great mass- 
es of men, who once were not loved, at kist 
finding thousands who labored and are now la- 
boring for their welfare. What are the benevo- 
lence and love which have had and still have so 
prominent a place in this great work, but rays 
from the central truth, that God loves all men ? 
If men could only extend their benevolence and 
love to all the race, as they are now extended 
to certain portions of that race, they would then 
see, that their spirit is but an emanation of the 
Savior's affection which prompts him to the sub- 
lime work of drawing all men to his rule and 
reign. 

The same fact is strikingly discoverable in 
another department of life. It is but a short 
time, since any effort was made for the intem- 
perate. They were despised and condemned. 
They were thought to be unfit to live. And, as 
no one supposed that they could be reformed, it 
was believed, that the sooner they died, the better 



78 TRUTH AND 

it would be for community. But when the work 
commenced among the intemperate themselves 
— when it was discovered that the reformation 
had begun — the news went over the land, and 
crossed the seas to other nations, like an electric 
shock. Better feelings were called into action. 
Sympathy for the unfortunate thrilled souls eve- 
ry where, without regard to creed. New exer* 
tions were made to redeem and reform the fallen. 
And, by the divine blessing, this earnest benevo- 
lence worked out the marvelous result of saving 
millions from disgrace and ruin. Now, what is 
this benevolence, but another ray from the truth 
that God loves all men, in that he has sent the 
Savior to draw all men to himself ; and that, 
following God as dear children, we should love 
one another ; love all ? 

There is an additional proof of the position 
we have taken. The period is distinctly marked 
in history, when the slave-trade and slavery were 
legalized by the great nations of the earth — 
when kings and queens, nobles and merchants 
were engaged in the traffic — -when not a voice 
was raised against this nefarious system of gi- 
gantic wickedness. But after a time, men be- 
came more enlightened on the subject. They 
began to see that Africans, though degraded by 
ignorance and idolatry, were still members of* 
the human family, and that there was no reason 
why the strong should tyrannize over the weak. 
The number of those who thus felt and thought, 
continually increased. They cried out against 
the evil. Their voices were heard. Great na- 
tions have denounced the slave trade as an infa- 
mous traffic. And there are millions now, whose 
opinions and influences are telling against slave- 
ry itself with powerful effect. And the time 



CENTRALIZATION. 



will come, when that evil, which now darkens 
the fair fame of our country and of other na- 
tions, will darken it no more. God speed the 
day. 

In all this, we discover an extension of human 
benevolence. Slaves who once had few or no 
friends, now have millions who are laboring to 
free them from bondage. In this instance, the 
love of man has taken a wider range than for- 
merly. What is this fact, but an evidence, that 
light from the central sun of God's universal love 
is more and more irradiating the souls of men, 
and bringing them gradually to the proposition, 
that as God loves all, and will bring all to him- 
self through the Redeemer, so we should love 
all, and strive for their good. 

These same tendencies are manifested m the 
views which are becoming so prevalent in re- 
gard to the peace-question. It is not now, as 
it formerly was, when military power was con- 
sidered the greatest glory for which man strove, 
and when scarcely an individual dared to ques- 
tion the propriety of the ravages, ruin, and mis- 
ery, which war caused nations to inflict upon 
each other. People are discovering that there is 
no need of these tremendous evils, and that if 
nations will only be just, war can be avoided ; 
for in every case, when two nations are deter- 
mined to be governed by right, all questions 
of dispute can be settled in an amicable spirit. 
These opinions are rapidly prevailing. They 
are producing their legitimate results. The war 
spirit is gradually rusting out. Questions, which 
formerly would have resulted in War, are now 
frequently settled among great nations by arbi- 
tration. Upon what are these views founded ? 
Upon the universal brotherhood of man— -upon 



80 



TRUTH AND 



the fact, that difference of country, of national 
habits, and of language, do not break up the ties 
of this brotherhood — upon the principle that men 
should do good to each other. What is this, but 
another ray from the great central truth, that 
God loves all men, and that he will enable Jesus 
to draw all men to his rule and reign in obedience 
and reconciliation ? 

There is still another manifestation of our 
position. It is not a long time since persecution 
unto death was the fate of those who went out 
from established creeds. Millions were slaugh- 
tered without the least compunction ; nay, with 
the complacent thought, that such horrible work 
was doing God service. The rack, the stake, 
the knife, the bayonet, and other means of tor- 
ture, were in constant use. It was a frightful 
path fo choose the exercise of liberty of con- 
science ; to independently avow the convictions 
of the soul, if those convictions varied from the 
views of rulers in the ecclesiastical world. It 
brought great suffering. It led to the shadows 
of death. There seemed to be no feeling, no 
pity, for those who claimed the right of freedom 
of mind. The persecutors looked upon them as 
hated of God and destined to endless fire, and 
that they were but imitating God, in burning 
them on earth. 

All this has passed forever. Better views and 
principles of action have struggled into exist- 
ence. Man has learned to feel for man. A 
greater degree of Christian spirit now reigns. — 
Sectarian bitterness is failing before it. The 
members of various sects have more kindly 
views in regard to each other. Social commu- 
nion is less restricted to the confines of creeds, 
than formerly. Charity is less narrow. Thou- 



CENTRALIZATION. 



61 



sands in all denominations are beginning to see ? 
that Christianity teaches them to cherish love 
for all men, without regard to creeds or differ- 
ence of opinion. So far is this spirit prevail- 
ing, that the extent of final salvation is being 
constantly enlarged. Contrary to former no- 
tions, nothing is more common than to find 
many members of each individual sect, who be- , 
lieve that salvation will embrace multitudes 
in all sects. The number of persons whom it 
is supposed will be saved, is immensely increas- 
ing, showing that love in the soul is reaching 
farther and farther in its views of God's grace 
and mercy. 

Besides, old opinions are altering. Their 
rougher edges are being worn off. Creeds are 
being constantly modified, to meet the demands 
of the growing liberalism of the age. People 
do not now wish to hear the terrors of infinite 
wrath. They are not satisfied with such erro- 
neous exhibitions of the character of the Father. 
Under the progress of the spirit of love, the bet- 
ter powers of the soul are being brought into 
action. These demand higher and holier 
themes, more lofty motives, and more tender 
and subduing appeals, than mere terrors derived 
from mistaken descriptions of God's character. 
Besides, the number of those who believe in the 
final salvation of the whole race, is constantly 
receiving accessions. If it could be known 
how many there are in the various sects, who 
secretly believe this glorious doctrine, it would 
startle community. There are more than we 
imagine. Now, in all this, we see the pro- 
gress of benevolent spirit. More men are em- 
braced in the affections which Christianity culti- 
vates, than formerly. What is this increased 
e . * 



82 



TRUTH AND 



love, but a ray from the central truth that God 
is love,fand loveth all, and has instituted means 
in Christ to redeem all ; therefore whom God 
loves, men should love ? It can have no other 
origin. This is the fountain from whence it 
springs. 

Look then at all the facts to which we have 
» referred. What leading, general truth do we 
discover in them ? Clearly this — that the 
Christian-reform movement and spirit, founded 
as they are in benevolence and good will, have 
extended their regards to class after class of the 
race, with untiring efforts for their elevation, 
improvement, and reformation. These are the 
aims of the benevolent movements of the day. 
And they prove, as they increase in extent and 
power, that they are centralizing in the great 
truth of the universal brotherhood of man. — 
This is their inevitable tendency. To this, in 
the Providence of God, they must come. It is 
equally evident, that this benevolent spirit is the 
fruit of Christian principle, and, though it may 
not be suspected by many who are exercised by 
it, is the growth of Christian truth. 

Hence, as the tendency of every philanthropic 
and benevolent action is toward the universal 
brotherhood of man ; and as this tendency is 
the result of Christian principle, and teaches 
men to do good to all ; and as, in so doing, 
men become imitators of God as dear children ; 
it follows that God loves all his children, and 
by truth, by punishment, by moral influences, 
is laboring for their elevation, their growth in 
holiness, and their ultimate redemption from 
every evil. For if we love all men, it is evi- 
dent that, by so doing, we can not be the imi- 
tators of God, unless he loves all. And if he 



CENTRALIZATION. 



loves all men for their good, it shows that his 
purpose, will, and pleasure, in suffering the Sa- 
vior to be lifted up from the earth on the cross, 
are united in enabling Jesus to attract all men 
to his rule and reign. A moral argument could 
not be clearer than this, nor proceed more di- 
rectly to its ultimate conclusion. And that 
conclusion is more glorious and sublime, from 
the fact, that it vindicates the character of God 
and consults the endless good of the whole hu- 
man family. 

Out of this subject, I deduce my view of the 
perfect Christian. He is one who believes that 
God loves all, and who, making that truth the 
foundation of his conduct, himself loves all, and 
spends his life in goodness. His virtue gives 
him constant enjoyment. His faith cheers his 
hours of bereavement and sorrow ; and when 
death comes, fills the dark valley with glorious 
light, and enables him to sing in triumph, " O 
Death ! where is thy sting ? 0 Grave ! where 
is thy victory V 9 



SERMON VII. 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 

M Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no 
man shall see the Lord." (Heb. 12 : 14.) 

The leading principle which distinguishes the 
Restitution from all other systems of doctrine, is, 
that at some future period in the divine government, 
sin, error, and mortality shall cease, and the race 
be fitted for immortality and felicity. In the midst 
of its accompanying sentiments ; of its views of 
the unity of God ; of the Messiahship of the Sa- 
vior ; of the inspiration of the Scriptures ; of the 
resurrection of the dead ; of regeneration, new 
birth, repentance, and forgiveness ; of rewards 
and punishments ; and of sound ethics ; it is this 
prominent fact which commands the attention of 
other sects, and gives rise to the principal objec- 
tions which have been urged against the doctrine 
as a subject of divine Revelation. 

Among these objections, is one which demands 
earnest and careful thought, not only on account 
of its important bearing upon the question of re- 
ligious truth, but also for the instruction which 
its consideration will afford. The objection, in 
brief, is, that as multitudes die without the know- 
ledge of truth ; die in sin ; die impenitent ; and, 
as there is no change after death,so they cannot be- 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



85 



come holy, and, consequently, can not enter into 
heaven, unless they do so in their sins ; and if 
they do so, heaven can afford them no happiness, 
because the elements of misery will remain in 
their souls. We as firmly believe, as any sect, 
that without holiness no person can enjoy im- 
mortal felicity. The questions are, Can not this 
holiness be obtained beyond this life ? Is there no 
change after death ? We will attempt to answer 
these queries, by tracing their negative and af- 
firmative aspects. 

Be it remembered, that those who discard the 
Restitution, do so on the ground that there is ab- 
solutely no change after death. This position 
precludes the idea of change of any kind, im- 
mediately after man's departure out of this life. 
For if those who advance this objection, contend 
for any change of mental and moral character 
at death, they virtually abandon.this position, and 
open the way for the ignorant and sinful to be- 
come enlightened and virtuous in the renovating 
airs of immortality. We, therefore, take the 
objection in its naked form, just as it is presented 
to the view of the believer in the impartial grace 
of God. 

The first consideration we advance, in regard 
to the idea of ao change after death, is, that it 
involves conclusions which no person can believe, 
no person does believe ; and is, therefore, false, 
both in its premises and results. To prove this 
fact, you are invited to consider what man has 
been, and what he is. 

History shows that man has been a mutable, 
sinful being ; the child of strong impulses and 
rude passions ; sometimes a king — then a slave ; 
sometimes mad with ambition — then crushed be- 
neath the iron heels of despotism ; sometimes 



86 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



dignified with virtue — then brutalized by vice. — 
He has toiled to raise the pyramids to gratifv his 
pride. He has explored the deepest mines to 
minister to his avarice. He has plunged into the 
worst forms of sin to satisfy his passions. And 
he has caused the waves of warfare and blood to 
sweep the earth with devastation and ruin. 

And what is man now ? What is his charac- 
ter ? Is he not far from being perfect ? Is he, 
in this life, in such a condition as to fit him for 
the purity of heaven ? It is true, that greatness 
of soul, sublime thoughts, vastness of know- 
ledge, and grandeur of moral action, are exhib- 
ited on the earth, showing the divme origin of man 
and his capacity for noble things. Yet no person 
can affirm, with truth, that he is fitted for the holy 
presence of God and the Lamb. This impurity, 
this unfitness, is very striking, very appalling, 
with millions of pur race. The sable African, 
chained by ignorance, degraded by licentious 
habits, # bows to stocks and stones. The Hindoo 
mother, blinded by a miserable superstition, sac- 
rifices her children to appease the wrath of an 
imaginary god. The Indian wanders in his 
wildness and ferocity, broken down only by the 
fire-water and treachery of the white man. Vice 
walks abroad eveiy where, ev$n in civilized 
communities. Man tramples on the rights of 
man, in order to attain* selfish ends. In grasp- 
ing eagerness for money, he heeds not the cry 
of the widow and the orphan, while he seizes 
their all with an iron hand. In order to gratify 
his passions, he visits others with suffering, se- 
duces the weak, crushes the feeble, and riots in 
debauchery. Every where, he is a man of war. 
Unhappy Poland and subdued India groan under 
his tyranny, The clangor of strife is heard in 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



Si- 



brave Circassia, in feeble Mexico, in distracted 
Europe and South America, in the islands of the 
Pacific. And the vast armies kept up by the 
overshadowing nations of the earth, prove that a 
single spark may light up a huge conflagration, 
which will spread over every land and sea. 

Then look at the conflicting notions which are 
entertained of the future world. One believes 
that he shall live in a heaven, where he will be 
waited on by dark-eyed houries of the most per- 
fect beauty. 'Another believes in a heaven, where 
he will roam, with his faithful dog, amid verdant 
forests stocked with abundant game. A third 
believes in a heaven, where he will enjoy unal- 
loyed felicity, even when the smoke of the bitter 
agony of the lost shall ascend into his nostrils. 
Even in regard to the saved, there is, among pro- 
fessedly Christian sects, a strange medley of con- 
flicting opinions. Some sects contend that only 
those of their own denomination will be saved. 
Others believe that there are some, in all sects, 
who will be redeemed. Some have become so 
liberal as to believe, that there are, at least, a 
few Universalists who will be immortally happy, 
even though the sincerity of their faith, in the 
salvation of the world, can not be questioned. — 
In short, taking them all together, there are among 
them opinions which are wholly at war with each 
other, so that it is* utterly impossible for all of 
them to be true. There must be rank error 
some where. 

Then again, we find, both among the heathen 
and professed Christians, that there is every va- 
riety of faith in regard to the place or places 
where the wicked will go ; the nature or pecu- 
liar character of the sufferings they will endure, 
^hey agree only in one thing — the intensity of 



88 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



suffering. For they have described the agonies 
of the lost as most terrific ; such as infinite fero- 
city alone could inflict ; and whose very mention 
is sufficient to make the stoutest heart faint with 
horror. 

Now all these men, whether characterized by 
the various forms of vicious action or by differ- 
ence of religious opinion, must enter the future 
world. This position is not denied by any one 
who has confidence in the Bible : for the Scrip- 
tures establish beyond question the doctrine of 
the resurrection of all men. Meet these men, 
then, thus imperfect, thus fastened in error, thus 
sunk in vice, as they enter the other world, and 
dispose of them according to the position, that 
there is no change a fter death ; and results follow, 
which no man can believe — no man does believe. 
The fierce warrior thirsts for blood. The intem- 
perate man remains intemperate. The debau- 
chee is still a debauchee. The heathen is still 
sunk in his miserable idolatry. All their crimes 
and lusts, in nature and character, become per- 
petuated there. Hence, in the future world, ac- 
cording to the objection, the precise evils of this 
life exist in full bloom and vigor, in spite of the 
declaration, "He that is dead, is freed from sin." 

But a worse difficulty exists in heaven, accor- 
ding to the position we are considering. Men 
die in the sincere belief of conflicting opinions. 
If there be no change after death, these conflict- 
ing opinions will always be entertained. The 
idolator will be an idolator still. The Calvinist, 
Arminian, Trinitarian, Unitarian, and Univer- 
salist, will forever believe their respective opin- 
ions. Therefore, not only will sectarian notions 
be perpetuated, but error will exist even in the 
immediate presence of God. Why not ? Men 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



89 



believe these opinions now, and many of them 
must necessarily be founded in error; and if 
there be no change after death, those erroneous 
opinions must be continued through eternity. — ■ 
This is an absurdity, I grant. And it is the more 
absurd, from the fact that it contradicts the apos- 
tle, when he said, " For now we see through a 
glass darkly ; but then, face to face ; now I 
know in part ; but then shall I know, even as also 
I am known," (1 Cor. 13 : 12.) thereby proving 
that knowledge will be perfect in immortality. 
But then, how is the conclusion to be avoided ? 
It is the legitimate result of the proposition* we 
are considering. For if there be no change af- 
ter death, whatever a man dies in possession of, 
he must forever retain. 

If I am told, that there will be so much change 
after death, that the wicked will not practice the 
particular sins which they practiced here, and 
that the saved will be divested of all sectarian 
notions and errors, then, let it be inquired, where 
Is the proposition itself ? If these great changes 
are to take place, according to the belief of those 
who urge that proposition, then the idea, that 
there is no change after death, is without foun- 
dation. But taking the proposition as it is, we 
see that it involves an absurdity, teaches opinions 
which no one believes, and contradicts the Scrip- 
tures. It is, therefore, of no force, and is, in fact, 
nothing more than a mere sectarian dogma to 
oppose the truth, which can not well be met by 
any other than fallacious arguments. 

He who affirms that there is no change after 
death, is more inconsistent than he who affirms 
that the worm can become the butterfly, without 
undergoing any transformation whatever. A 
bare thought, upon the question involved, shows 
E 2 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



its impossibility. Can a mortal man become an 
immortal being, without a vast change in his 
physical and mental nature ? Can he become so, 
any more than food can become flesh, bone, and 
sinew, without a complete and radical change of 
its entire substance? It is evident, that man is 
admirably adapted for the earth upon which he 
lives. It is equally evident, that he must become 
greatly changed in order to prepare him for the 
scenes of a future life, which is so different from 
the present. The Scriptures are clear and full 
in sustaining this position. Their testimony is 
so thorough, that their consideration will satisfy 
every believer in divine Revelation. To this 
testimony we now turn. 

I. In reference to a physical change. At the 
first step into this subject, we are met by the af- 
firmation of the apostle, that Jesus "shall change 
our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto 
HIS glorious body, according to the working 
whereby he is able to subdue all things unto him- 
self." Phil. 3: 21. The change here set forth 
is clearly illustrated in another place. Antici- 
pating the question, u How are the dead raised 
up, and with what bodies do they come?" (1 Cor. 
15 : 35) he uses the analogy of a seed germinating 
in the earth. He states that the body of the seed 
dies, and in the process, the germ becomes de- 
veloped. This germ unfolds itself into the per- 
fect plant with its leaves and flowers, having a 
body entirely different from that which clothed 
the original seed. In this work, there is a thor- 
ough change ; as complete a transformation of the f 
elementary properties of the seed as can be, and 
yet preserve the identity of both seed and plant. 

Having, by this analogy, removed all obscu- 
rity in regard to a resurrective change, by show- 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



ft] 



ing that something similar takes place in nature, 
the apostle reasons thus : " So also is the res- 
urrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption ; 
it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishon- 
or ; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness ; 
it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body ; 
it is raised a spiritual body." 1 Cor. 15 : 42 — 
44. Whatever is corruptible, dishonorable, fee- 
ble, and natural about man, will be thrown off. 
And, in the change, he will become incorruptible, 
honorable, powerful, and spiritual. This change 
is certain, for the apostle affirms, " Now this I 
say, brethren, that flesh and blood can not inherit 
the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption in- 
herit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mys- 
tery ; we shall not all sleep ; but we shall all be 
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, 
at the last trump ; for the trumpet shall sound, 
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and 
we shall be changed." 1 Cor. 15: 50, 51, 52. 
Thus the apostle expressly declares, that man 
will undergo a vast change after death. I know 
that it may be said, that this is simply a physical 
change, and has no bearing upon moral and in- 
tellectual character. Admitting, for a moment, 
that this idea is true, which, by the way, we do 
not believe it to be, yet it is established beyond 
dispute, that there will be a great change of some 
kind after death ; and therefore the position, that 
there is no such change, falls to the ground, and 
is of no force. But, to follow it to its utmost ex- 
tent, to its farthest reach, I shall proceed to show, 

II. That all men will, after death, undergo a 
great intellectual and moral change. 

This position is admitted in regard to millions 
of the race, by those who declare that there is 
no change after death. They, or most of them, at 



92 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



least, believe that all who die in infancy will be 
holy and happy. Hence there must be a change in 
their intellectual powers, to fit them to appreciate 
the knowledge of heaven ; and of their moral 
powers and affections to participate in the joys of 
an advanced holiness and of cultivated love. 

They believe that idiots will be saved ; that 
they will become capable of enjoying the sub- 
limities and happiness of God's immediate pres- 
ence ; and be filled with the moral influences of 
heaven. Yet this condition can not be theirs, 
without a vast change in their whole mental na- 
ture. 

They believe that the heathen, who have never 
heard of the Savior, will be received into heaven. 
But can they be fitted for it, without such a 
change as will enable them to throw off errors, 
to embrace the truth, and to breathe the air of 
spiritual life ? 

They believe that the saints will be happy. 
Yet no man is perfect ; no man free from error 
of some kind ; no man entirely divested of sin ; 
in this life. Where, then, can even the saints be 
prepared for heaven, if not by the intellectual 
and moral changes, wrought out after death, by 
the Savior of the world? 

Now, as far as these facts are concerned, we 
find a most thorough mental and moral change. 
Therefore, the position that there is no change 
after death, is not founded in truth, and is, con- 
sequently, of no force. 

But a reference to the Scriptures will show, 
that a more widely extended change will take 
place after death, than most people imagine. 

Hear what John says : " Beloved, now are 
we the sons of God ; and it doth not yet appear 
what we shall be ; but we know, that when he 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



92 



shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall 
see him as he is." 1 John 3 : 2. This state- 
ment is clear. We are not now what we shall 
be hereafter. Here we live in a mortal world — 
there we shall live in an immortal world, and be- 
come like the Savior. It follows, that, as we are 
not like him now and are to be like him, a great 
change must be effected in us. This is the in- 
evitable conclusion which flows from the lan- 
guage of the apostle. 

Paul adds his proof to this position. After 
showing that the same all men who die in Adam, 
being like him as to a sinful, mortal nature, shall 
be made alive in Christ, becoming like him in 
moral and spiritual character, he proceeds to 
affirm this fact, as follows : " As is the earthy, 
such are they also that are earthy ; and as is the 
heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, 
we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." 
1 Cor. 15: 48, 49. Now here is a vast change. 
The earthly becomes the heavenly. And as we 
have borne the image of the one, the apostle de- 
clares that we shall also bear the image of the 
other. Men are not heavenly now. Where will 
they, where can they become so* if not after 
death ? The answer to this question, is decisive 
of the point at issue. 

We need only the testimony of the Savior, to 
make the subject perfectly strong. Look, then, 
at the statement which our Savior made to the 
Sadducees. "Ye do err, not knowing the Scrip- 
tures, nor the power of God. For in the resur- 
rection, they neither marry nor are given in 
marriage, but are as the angels of God in 
heaven." Matt. 22 : 29, 30. Now, as to the 
number who will rise, there can be no doubt. — 



04 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



If there be any doubt, a portion of his answer 
to the Sadducees, as recorded in Luke, 20 ; 37, 
38, would remove it. " Now that the dead are 
raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he 
calleth the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the 
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is 
not a God of the dead, but of the living ; for all 
live unto him." 

All are to rise. This is truth. Our Savior 
affirms, that the subjects of the resurrection are 
as the angels of God. This is truth also. It is 
equally true, that the angels are perfect in know- 
ledge, holiness, and happiness. This can not be 
denied. Then, it is undeniable, that all men, in 
the physical, intellectual, and moral processes of 
the resurrection, will become as the angels. Do 
men become like the angels in this life ? Cer- 
tainly not. Where then ? After death, most as- 
suredly. Jesus is at work there, as well as here. 
He has all power in heaven as well as on earth, 
that he may save his people from their sins, and 
reconcile all things or beings in heaven and on 
earth, to God the Father. 

We discover; then, from this plain testimony, 
that there will be a vast physical, intellectual, 
and moral change after death, not only for one, 
but for all the race. Hence there is no founda- 
tion for the idea, that there is no change after 
death. Indeed, the future life would be of very 
little worth, if all the follies, wickedness, pas- 
sions, and errors of this world were established 
in the next world, which must be the case, if 
there be no change. 

But seeing, as Scripture proves, that there will 
be such a change ; that Jesus will Bring sinners 
to holiness ; and, in that change, will thoroughly 
prepare them for the enjoyments of heaven ; we 



CHANGE AFTER DEATH. 



95 



find that the future state is full of attractions for 
the soul, because none of the evils to which hu= 
man life is incident, will exist there. 



SERMON VIII. 



LONGING FOR THE IMMORTAL HOME. 

" For me to live, is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live 
in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor ; yet what I shall 
choose, I wot (know) not. For I am in a strait betwixt 
two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ : 
which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is 
more needful for you." (Philippians 1 : 21, 22, 23, 24.) 

The thoughts here expressed by the apostle, 
are clear and instructive. Let us strive to at- 
tain them. 

The apostle was convinced of the reality of 
future existence ; of the fact that all souls shall 
ultimately be clothed with immortality. Nor 
was he less convinced — indeed he was as 
strongly convinced, if we may judge by his 
writings — that the state of immortality is a state 
of reconciliation and supreme felicity. Hence 
he concluded, that it would be gain to him, if he 
could depart from this life and be with the Sa- 
vior. For, realizing that the future life is 
transcendently more glorious than the present, 
be desired to throw off his mortality and to put 
on the heavenly nature. Yet, satisfied that for 
him to live was " Christ" — or in other words, 
that by remaining among men, he could advance 
the cause of divine truth, and that the advance 
of Christ's kingdom would be the reward of his 



THE IMMORTAL HOME, 



97 



labors — he declared, notwithstanding all these 
facts, that he was " in a strait betwixt two." He 
could hardly decide whether duty or desire 
should be suffered to preponderate in his mind. 
On the one hand, he felt that the Christian sys- 
tem and its believers needed his presence and 
his exertions. Before him the field of labor for 
the elevation of man, opened in all its glory. — 
He saw that there he could discharge his duty 
to God and the Savior, and be instrumental in 
bringing many souls from the hideous darkness 
of paganism into the divine influences of Chris- 
tianity. On the other hand, he saw, beyond 
the sea of death, the visions of immortality and 
the joys of supreme felicity. He felt that the 
future life was free from the evils of the pre- 
sent, and that God was fully revealed in it. He 
desired to be there. Yet duty drawing one 
way, and desire drawing another, he was in a 
strait between the two. 

His indecision is finely expressed by a word 
which occurs in the expression, "I am in a 
strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, 
and to be with Christ." The word analusai, 
here rendered "to depart" was applied, by 
Homer, " to loosing of the cables of a ship, in 
order to sail from a port." (Parkhurst's Lexi- 
can on analuoo.) The apostle was something in 
the situation of the commander of a vessel, 
who being in a foreign port, desired at once to 
loose his cables and to depart for his home. — ■ 
Yet, either fearing that the interests of his own- 
ers would be injured by an immediate departure, 
or from not having received orders to sail, he, 
like a faithful man, waited patiently for the 
proper time to come, being ever ready to 
depart at a moment's warning. So the apos- 



LONGING FOE. 



tie was prepared to depart to the heavenly 
home. He desired to leave mortal life and to 
be with Christ. He felt that to do so, would be 
great gain. Yet he patiently awaited the sum- 
mons, with the firm resolution to do his duty 
while he did remain, realizing that in the dis- 
charge of duty there is a noble reward. 

In applying this subject to our instruction, 
there are two points to be specially observed. — 
The apostle was exercised with ardent longings to 
enter into the joys of immortality. 2. Yet he 
felt that life had claims upon him wlxich were not 
to be neglected, and which he was bound to cheer- 
fully fulfil, not only on account of their impor- 
tance in the elevation of man, but also because of 
the satisfaction flowing from obedience to the di- 
vine command. 

From these two special points, others grow, 
which are equally important of themselves, 
though they are secondary in regard to the 
thoughts embraced in the text. 1. The longings 
of the apostle for the permanent home of im- 
mortality, and his desires to be with the Savior 
who had sent him forth as an able minister to 
the Gentiles, were founded, not on mere hope ; 
not on fancy ; not on the simple promptings of 
his feelings ; but on the absolute conviction of 
the reality of future and endless life. It was 
no longer a question of doubt with him. All 
doubt had ceased. He was so thoroughly con- 
vinced of the fact of our Savior's resurrection 
and of the consequent resurrection of all men, 
that his faith in it had become like the ever- 
lasting hills. His mind had so grown into this 
truth and its testimony, and it was to him so 
demonstrated, that he felt as certain of existing 
hereafter as that he existed in the present world. 



THE IMMORTAL HOME. 



99 



Hence his hopes and desires were founded on ra- 
tional faith. 2. His ardent wish to depart and 
be with his Savior, did not embrace the expec- 
tation, that in the world of immortality, he 
should be made the witness of intolerable an- 
guish for myriads of his fellow-beings ; anguish 
whose intensity and horror would continue 
to increase with the ceaseless revolutions of 
eternity. His eager desire to enter upon the 
wondrous scenes of immortality, embraced the 
benevolent faith, that the future life would be 
full of joy not for himself alone, but that its 
holiness and happiness would be imparted to all 
the race. He established the position in his 
writings, that the period will arrive when all 
the evils to which men are subjected, in their 
corruptible estate, will cease ; when smiles of 
joy shall take the place of tears of sorrow ; 
when endless health shall take the place of sick- 
ness ; when ever-increasing knowledge shall 
take the place of blinding ignorance ; when 
pure virtue shall take the place of sin ; when 
unending life shall take the place of distressing 
death. The future world was more desirable 
to him from the fact, that his own joy would be 
greatly increased in witnessing the felicity of 
all other men. 3. Yet notwithstanding the 
grandeur of these views — notwithstanding the 
powerful attractions they presented to wean him 
from the present world and concentrate his eager 
desires upon the immediate presence of God — 
they did not induce him to think meanly of the • 
present life and its duties. They did not lessen , 
his love for man and his reverence for the beau- 
tiful and the good manifested by human beings. 
He saw the goodness of God in giving man 
mortal existence. He appreciated the worth of 



100 



LONGING FOR 



attending to the obligations of life. No person 
understood more fully the necessity of cheer- 
fully discharging the relations which bind us 
to earth. And no person has more ably shown, 
that man acquires true dignity, real happiness, 
and the approval of God, by carefully laboring 
in the field of virtue. He felt that each one 
must patiently run the race of life, being en- 
couraged to do so by a view of the joyful im- 
mortality which will swallow up mortality. The 
consistent course of the apostle, in this respect, 
is most noble encouragement for men to rever- 
ence human nature, to seek for thorough know- 
ledge of its duties, and to appreciate the moral 
grandeur and joy of observing those duties. — 
For if they realize that their rest in heaven will 
be endless and glorious, they will discover that 
the Christian character consists in virtuously 
performing the earthly journey which leads to 
that undisturbed and peaceful rest. 

In these conclusions, which flow from the 
text, there is real instruction ; worthy of con- 
sideration and regard. Let us look for this in- 
struction, and heed it well. 

The apostle was exercised with ardent long- 
ings for endless life. They beat vehemently 
in his soul. But this fact was not peculiar to 
him. All men have, at times, the same longings. 
Those longings are as far-reaching as the race 
itself. The heathen have them. They are 
not, it is true, possessed of the same clear views 
which the apostle possessed. Their faith is 
crude, formed in fancy and mixed with the wild 
notions of human passions ; while their future 
heavens are the creations of earthly notions, 
the dreams of desire ungoverned by fact. But 
the very existence of these notions is proof that 



THE IMMORTAL HOME, 



101 



all men have longings for future life. No mat- 
ter how debased men may be by ignorance and 
error, yet this truth is every where developed. 
The longings may be faint or they may be ar- 
dent. Yet amid the snows and ice of the poles ; 
amid the fervent heat of the tropical sun ; amid 
tribes living in wild woods or on isles whose 
roots are far down in ocean-deeps ; thoughts of 
future life gush up in the soul and prove the 
ardent longings of all human beings for death- 
less existence. Of this fact there can be no 
successful denial. It is interwoven in the na- 
ture of man. 

Yet, though desires for immortality were pos- 
sessed by the apostle in common with the race, 
his condition was vastly different from the 
largest portion of the world. His desires were 
regulated by divine truth. His mind was illu- 
minated by a clear and an ardent faith growing 
out of the revelations of God. On this foun- 
dation his desires stood, and from it, those de- 
sires rose, reaching even the spiritual presence 
of the universal Father, and filling his soul with 
sublime ecstacy in the anticipation of the felici- 
ties of immortality. His desires were not mixed 
with error, nor his faith with doubt. Truth and 
hope were united in his mind ; and they filled it 
with the light of heaven and reconciliation. 

Our hopes and desires can have the same 
foundation, the same clearness, the same vivid 
power, which the apostle enjoyed. The bound- 
less wealth of the Scriptures has been presented 
us. The communications of men who were 
guided by unerring inspiration, are before us. — 
The clear instructions of the Savior are ever 
within our reach. On them we can found a 
faith as strong as the promise of Jehovah ; as 



102 



LONGING FOR 



clear as sunlight ; as joyful as the praise which 
angels use ; as abiding as the dying love of the 
Savior ; as reasonable as the revelation of God. 
In the holy Scriptures, proof follows proof in 
showing that all spirits must return to God and 
be clothed with immortality ; and that all souls 
will ultimately be baptized in the pure waters of 
reconciliation. These facts have been so demon- 
strated by the inspired writers, that they have 
become the spirit of all genuine, devoted prayer, 
and the strength of every benevolent effort for the 
improvement and elevation of our race. 

Here is the foundation of rational hope. Not 
hope which, like the trembling and affrighted 
bird first sent forth from the ark, finds no 
resting place ; but hope which stands on in- 
spiration. Here is the faith which regulates 
our desires for immortality within the bounds of 
reason and of truth. Those desires, thus regu- 
lated, are not vague, but strong and steady in 
the doctrine of Jesus. And however constantly 
the present life may chain us with its sympathies 
and ties, yet when we consider the faith which 
gave rise to such longings in the soul of the 
apostle ; when we view the results which it em- 
braces ; the truth presses upon us with resist- 
less power, that to die is gain ; that it is desira- 
ble to be with the Savior ; that immortality has 
more attractions than mortality. 

Who has not, at times, felt longings for the 
presence of God and the Savior ? Who has not 
under certain circumstances, had his mind ex- 
ercised with thoughts, difficult of utterance by 
words, yet which soared to heaven with strong 
desires for existence there ? Times and seasons 
there are, when the soul will break away from 
life, disdain its cares and toils, and will vibrate 



THE IMMORTAL HOME. 



103 



with desire for the home of the great King. In 
the silence of night — on the calm evening, 
when the stars shine in radiant beauty and 
burn in their solemn silence ; when the distant 
roar of the ocean comes booming along like an 
awful note in nature's wild and sublime song of 
praise — when the consciousness rushes into the 
soul, that it has been permitted to read but the 
bare title-page of the wonderful universe, while 
the remainder of the volume is impenetrably 
sealed — whose mind has not then risen from earth 
up to nature's God, with longings for the im- 
mortal world, that its knowledge may be attained 
and its joys experienced ? And when affliction 
has come over the" affections and hopes of the 
mind, like the cloud , which shuts out the sun- 
light of happiness — when beloved friends drop 
one after another out of life, breaking up its ties, 
unstringing its harp, and silencing its social mu- 
sic — in such hours of weariness, whose soul has 
not struggled to be free from earth, that it might 
wing its way to its God and its final home ? 

It is true that the nature , though not the fact, 
of future life, may be shrouded in secrecy. — ■ 
The shadowings of its glory may be but dimly 
conceived of. The character of its felicity may 
be hidden from us. Yet this fact, instead of de- 
pressing, gives vivid strength to the struggling 
aspirations of the soul for immortality. Those 
aspirations, of themselves, may be faint like the 
beams of morning stealing on the darkness of 
night ; but the proof of immortality gives them 
a clearness and brilliancy like the noon-tide sun 
in its splendor and power. 

In the faint conceptions which we have of the 
character of the immortal world, we are some- 
what in the condition of a person, who, when 



104 



LONGING FOR 



quite young, was stolen from her home in Italy 
by a band of gipseys. When she arrived to years 
of reflection, the conviction was firmly riveted in 
her mind, that she had a home in the sunny 
land. Yet her conceptions of it were dim — faint 
thoughts of a palace, shadowy dreams of orange- 
groves, and scattered ideas of affectionate faces, 
flitted across her mind, and filled it with ardent 
longings for that home. 

So, however difficult it may be to arrive at a 
clear understanding of the mode of immortal ex- 
istence and the character of the happiness which 
attends it, yet thoughts of that existence w T ill 
steal into the soul, and cause it to send its desires 
uprising to the throne of God, with ardent long- 
ings to enter into the endless home. It is well 
that this is so. It is necessary to have our 
thoughts called away at times from the cares of 
life and from its absorbing forms, that we may 
realize that the earth is not our abiding place. 
It is well to have our souls commune with the 
fact, that to die is gain ; that to be with the Sa- 
vior is inexpressibly desirable ; and that to enter 
the immediate presence of God, is to enter into 
unutterable felicity, ever-increasing knowledge, 
and unending life. It is well to do this, be- 
cause w r e not only strengthen our faith in the re- 
ality of the future existence, but we are led by 
it to avoid fixing our minds with overwhelming 
greediness upon gaining great masses of earth- 
ly luxuries ; of giving all our thoughts to earth 
and none to heaven. 

And yet, at first view, it would seem that if 
the mind should become vividly impressed with 
the fact, that to die and rise in immortality, 
when rightly considered, is infinitely preferable 
to mortal living — that if the mind should be 



THE IMMORTAL HOME. 



105 



absorbed with ardent longings for the unseen 
home — it would unfit man for the duties of earth 
and draw away his attention from the importance 
of earthly claims. Such is not the case. The 
apostle Paul is proof of it. His views of im- 
mortality and his desires to attain it, only served 
to make him more faithful to God in the dis- 
charge of his duties, who was so kind as to pro- 
mise him thai home. And careful observation 
will show us, that those followers of the Savior, 
who are so well instructed in his doctrine that 
they appreciate its value and enter into its 
spirit ; who so rejoice in it, that they have vivid 
conceptions of its glory, and frequently dwell 
with ardent desire upon the immortality which 
awaits them ; are those who strive most faith- 
fully to perform their duty on earth, and realize 
that the noblest crown which man can gain, is 
to patiently abide the events of Providence, and 
" to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly" in 
the journey of life. 

In this respect, God has provided checks to 
regulate the ardent longings of the soul for a 
better and more permanent home than the pre* 
sent. If man wseaenlled with continuous de- 
sires of immortality, made stronger by the light 
of divine truth, he would become so absorbed 
by them, that the present life would be of no 
worth in his eyes, were there no means taken to 
repress these desires, and to make them sub~ 
servient to the discharge of the duties attendant 
upon mortal existence. Something occurs here, 
which is analogous, in a degree, to what occurs 
in the physical world. It is. well known that the 
earth, in its revolution around the sun, moves by 
a power which, if it were not counteracted ^ by 
another power, would carry it on a straight line* 



106 



LONGING FOR 



But to prevent this result, the sun sends out its 
law of attraction, which, placing its strong hand 
upon the earth, diverges it from a straight line 
and gives it motion around the sun. Here 
there is a perfect balancing of forces. The earth 
neither* flies off into space by repulsion, nor 
falls into the sun by attraction. By the exact 
union of the two forces, it is kept unerringly in 
its orbit, that the beautiful results of annual rev- 
olution may be accomplished and constantly 
produced. 

Somewhat so it is with man. Ecstatic views 
of heaven, without any counteracting influence, 
would repel him from mortality. But love of 
the present life, which pervades all the springs 
of his being, makes human estate attracting to 
him. And as he realizes that it is God's will for 
him to remain on earth, and that he cannot be 
happy there without discharging certain duties, 
so there is a continual incitement to virtue. — 
Thus the love of earth and the love of heaven 
mutually soften and assist each other. Love of 
life binds us to the earth. Love of immortality 
and the knowledge of its truth, enables us to bear 
the evils of life cheerfully ; and out of gratitude 
for its certainty, leads us to obey the divine com- 
mands. 

The apostle presents us a fine instance of this 
character. His soul thrilled with desires for the 
sublime and ecstatic joys of the nobler world of 
immortality, of the presence of God and the Sa- 
vior. But love of life — the knowledge of his 
duty to the cause of Christ — moderated his de- 
sires—and, under the certainty that he should 
ultimately attain the angelic state, taught him to 
be content with his present condition, and to re- 
joice that he was permitted to possess the joys and 



THE IMMORTAL HOME. 



107 



dignities of acting an important and necessary 
part in the establishment of Christianity. And 
in all the trials and 'persecutions which he en- 
dured in the discharge of his duty, his faith and 
lively hopes of another life, sustained and cheered 
him, and enabled him to faithfully accomplish 
the work assigned him. 

From all these considerations, we arrive at the 
conclusion, that we were designed for earth first, 
and that immortality comes afterwards. For if 
it be the will of the universal Father, that we 
should enjoy an endless life hereafter, it is also 
his will that we should previously live on earth. 
And he has so constituted us, that the present 
life is desirable and pleasant, and to it we are 
vehemently attracted. And it is the dictate alike 
of Christianity and of sound sense, to make our 
journey through mortality to immortality, as 
agreeable and productive of happiness as possi- 
ble ; to make the apostle our example, in bear- 
ing its ills cheerfully, in discharging its duties 
faithfully, and in preparing our minds to cour- 
ageously meet our change from corruption to in- 
corruption. And I apprehend, that the more 
glorious and vivid are our conceptions of im- 
mortality and the holiness which reigns among 
its joyous scenes ; that so far from making 
us think meanly of human existence, they will 
induce us to strive for a measure of the heaven- 
ly purity, that even in our earthly estate we may 
exhibit a portion of the spirit which reigns in the 
immediate presence of God, and be faithful to 
increase the moral talents which have been 
committed to our charge. And if our views of 
the final destiny of the soul, have the tendency 
thus to exalt our moral character, elevation in 
moral character will react, and prepare us for 



108 



THE IMMORTAL HOME. 



still higher and nobler thoughts of our final des- 
tiny. As the acquisition of one scientific truth 
only strengthens the mind and prepares it to 
make greater discoveries, so every step we take 
in obedience, is but a step nearer to angelic 
perfection and the most powerful revelations of 
Christianity. 

With a glorious destiny before us, yet we must 
do our duty if we wish to be happy here. We 
must strive to control our passions ; to purify 
our speech ; to attain the full spirit of the law 
of kindness ; and to walk in virtue, that we may 
bear prosperity wisely and without pride, and 
that we may meet adversity with unfaltering 
trust. Then we shall be Christians indeed. — 
While with joy we shall wait our appointed time, 
%vhen God will crown us with immortality. 



SERMON IX. 



THE HORRORS OF ENDLESS MISERY 

" Whom, having not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye 
see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable 
and full of glory." CI Peter, 1: 8.) 

In the context, the apostle refers to the " lively 
hope" of the resurrection from the dead, founded 
upon the resurrection of the Savior, who thereby 
established the fact, that there is reserved in 
heaven "an inheritance incorruptible, and un- 
dented, and that fadeth not away," for the chil- 
dren of men. 

Now, though those to whom the apostle wrote 
had never seen the Savior in person, yet they 
loved him because of the great work which he 
had wrought out for them and the world. They 
believed in him as " the first-born from the dead," 
the Savior of the race. This faith caused them 
to " rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glo- 
ry," and resulted in the salvation of their souls 
from error and sin ; as the apostle affirms, " re- 
ceiving the end of your faith, even the salvation 
of your souls." 

From these facts, we discover that the faith 
which they cherished, filled them with happiness. 
And well it might. They were exercised with 
a powerful conviction that the resurrection was 



110 



HORRORS OF 



certain — that it was the entrance to the inherit- 
ance of immortality, incorruptible, undefined, un- 
fading — to a life of knowledge and felicity, more 
enduring than the stars, robed with the grandeur 
of eternity, as lasting as the existence of Jeho- 
vah — to a condition free from all human ills, in 
which neither sinful thoughts nor wild insanity 
shall retard the progress of the soul, and where 
the physical and spiritual works of God shall be 
seen in all their sublimity. This faith, infinitely 
transcending all other views of happiness, is em- 
inently calculated to fill the believer with peace 
and comfort, with subjects of the most delightful 
contemplation, and with the rapturous fervors of 
that Christian benevolence which leads us to pray 
and hope for the welfare of every child of the 
race. 

With this faith we have been, and are now, 
blessed. God has graciously opened the eyes of 
our understanding, and suffered us to look upon 
the wondrous scheme of salvation — to believe in 
that divine plan of redemption, which his prov- 
idence unfolds, which agrees with his character, 
which his promises affirm, which glows in pro- 
phetic communications, which is the grand ob- 
ject of the Savior's mission, and is one of the 
noble themes upon which apostolic preachers 
delighted to dwell with rapture. 

And yet, though this faith is calculated to pro- 
duce unspeakable joy, like that which is felt 
by those who first emerge from darkness into the 
brilliant light of Gospel truth, how little do we 
appreciate it, and how rarely we are animated 
by its glorious themes. It has become so com- 
mon with us ; has become so much like a house- 
hold thing in our minds ; that we are apt to lose 
sight of its preciousness and to forget its joy. — 



ENDLESS MISERY. 



Ill 



Still, we can not avoid admitting, that contempla- 
tion of it, and devout meditation upon its glad ti- 
dings, are calculated to exalt the mind, to raise 
it from sinful desires, to prepare us for life's bit- 
terest afflictions, and to fill us with ecstatic desire 
for the heavenly home ; in fact, to give us that 
holy communion with God, which nourishes the 
soul as the morning dew revives the rose. 

In order to awaken in us a portion of the un- 
utterable joy which our faith is calculated to in- 
spire, I shall strive to show what our condition 
would be, if we so believed, that, when medita- 
ting on the resurrection in all its aspects, it would 
call up scenes replete with horror, and shrivel 
our hearts with dread. If I know my own feel- 
ings, I do this with no bigoted disposition — with 
no ardor for mere controversialism — with no want 
of respect for others. I do it to warn men against 
error and its effects, on the one hand, and to show 
them the superiority and preciousness of the faith 
and its results, on the other. And when you shall 
see the sufferings which others have endured, in 
consequence of connecting immortality with fear- 
ful thoughts ; w T hen you shall discover the gloomy 
darkness which has, at times, enveloped their 
minds ; I am sure that your sympathy will be 
excited, and your gratitude to God, for deliver- 
ance from these evils, will be greatly increased. 

What is the best method to pursue in attaining 
this end ? Certainly that of permitting these in- 
dividuals to speak for themselves ; to exhibit the 
thoughts and emotions of their souls in their own 
language. We shall then know for a certainty, 
what are the results of attaching erroneous views 
to the future life- — views which blight the lively 
aspirations of benevolent hope and fervent prayer. 

We begin, then, with the remarks which Mr. 



112 



HORRORS OF 



S#urin, a celebrated preacher in Holland, made, 
when dwelling upon the subject of unending 
suffering. He says, "I sink under the weight of 
this subject; and I declare, when I see my 
friends, my relations, the people of my charge, 
this whole congregation; when I think that I, 
that you, that we are all threatened with these 
torments ; when I see in the lukewarmness of my 
devotions, in the languor of my love, in the lev- 
ity of my resolutions and designs^ the least evi- 
dence, though it be only probable or presumptive, 
of my future misery, yet I find in the thought a 
mortal poison, which diffuses itself into every 
period of my life, rendering society tiresome, 
nourishment insipid, pleasure disgustful, and life 
itself a cruel bitter. I cease to wonder, that a 
fear of hell has made some melancholy, and 
others mad ; that it has inclined some to expose 
themselves to a living martyrdom by fleeing from 
all commerce with the rest of mankind, and 
others to suffer the most violent and terrible tor- 
ments." (Sermon on hell.) He earnestly and 
sincerely believed that the resurrection would 
usher millions into infinite suffering ; that him- 
self or some of his friends might possibly endure 
that suffering ; and his belief filled him with an- 
guish. For dreadful must be the condition of 
the mind, if the thoughts which exercise it, dif- 
fuse a mortal poison in the life, and render even 
existence a cruel bitter. It certainly can not 
be animated by the unspeakable joy, which is 
the result of the Christian faith to which the 
apostle refers. 

Another instance is that of Dr. Payson, an in- 
dividual whose talents were of the highest order, 
and who realized what he believed, if we may 
judge by the seasons of intense distress and doubt 



ENDLESS MISERY. 



US 



which he experienced at different times. Wri- 
ting to a friend, he said : " There is one trial 
which you can not know experimentally. It is 
that of being obliged to preach to others, when 
one doubts of every thing, and can scarcely be- 
lieve that there is a God. All the atheistical, 
deistical, and heretical objections, which I meet 
with in books, are childish babblings, compared 
with those which Satan suggests, and which he 
urges upon the mind with a force which seems 
irresistible. Yet I am often obliged to write ser- 
mons, and to preach, when these objections beat 
upon me like a whirlwind, and almost distract 
me." (Memoir, p. 330,) Unhappy indeed must 
he be, whose mind is driven into a condition like 
that thus described. Such a faith can have but 
little power to fill the soul with unutterable joy 
and unshaken confidence. 

The next instance is that of Dr. A. Barnes. 
He states certain difficulties which beset his own 
mind, in striving for an unwavering confidence 
in God, as follows : " That sin should have been 
allowed to come into the system formed by a ho- 
ly God. That since he had power to create or 
not, as he chose ; and since worlds have been 
made that were holy, and are still holy, that all 
should not have been made so. That misery has 
come into the universe ; and that death, with 
many forms of woe, has been commissioned to 
cut down one whole race ; and that, in doing it, 
the whole earth is strewed with hospitals, and sick 
beds, and graves. That the immortal mind 
should be allowed to jeopard its infinite welfare, 
and that trifles should be allowed to draw it away 
from God, and virtue, and heaven. That any 
should suffer forever— lingering in hopeless de- 
spair, and rolling amidst infinite torments with- 
F 2 



114 



HORRORS OF 



out the possibility of alleviation and without end. 
That since God can save all men, and ivill save 
a part, he has not purposed to save all ; that on 
the supposition that the atonement is ample, and 
that the blood of Christ can cleanse from all and 
every sin, it is not in fact applied to all. That, 
in a word, a God who claims to be worthy of the 
confidence of the universe, and to be a being of 
infinite benevolence, should make such a world 
as this — full of sinners and sufferers ; and that, 
when an atonement has been made, he did not 
save all the race, and put an end to sin and woe 
forever. 

"These, and kindred difficulties, meet the mind 
when we think on this great subject ; and they 
meet us when we endeavor to urge our fellow 
sinners to be reconciled to God, and put confi- 
dence in him. On this ground they hesitate. — 
These are real, not imaginary difficulties. They 
are probably felt by every mind that ever reflect- 
ed on the subject — and they are unexplained, 
unmitigated, unremoved. I confess, for one, that 
I feel them, and feel them more sensibly and 
powerfully the more I look at them, and the long- 
er I live. I do not understand these facts ; and 
I make no advances toward understanding them. 
I do not know that I have a ray of light on this 
subject which I had not when the subject first 
flashed across my soul. I have read, to some ex- 
tent, what wise and good men have written. I have 
looked at their theories and explanations. I have 
endeavored to weigh their arguments — for my 
whole soul pants for relief on these questions. 
But I get neither ; and, in the distress and anguish 
of my own spirit, I confess that I see no light 
whatever. I see not one ray to disclose to me 
the reason why sin came into the world ; why the 



ENDLESS MISERY. 



115 



earth .is strewed with the dying and the dead, 
and why man must suffer to all eternity. I have 
never seen a particle of light thrown on these 
subjects that has given me a moment's ease to my 
tortured mind, nor have 1 an explanation to offer, or 
a thought to suggest, which would be of relief to 
you. I trust other men — as they profess to do — ■ 
understand this better than I do, and that they 
have not the anguish of spirit which I have ; but I 
confess, when I look on a world of sinners and of 
sufferers; upon death-beds and grave yards ; up- 
on the world of woe filled with hosts to suffer for- 
ever ; when I see my friends, my parents, my 
family, my people, my fellow citizens — when I 
look upon a whole race, all involved in this sin and 
danger, and when I see the great mass of them 
wholly unconcerned, and when I feel that God 
only can save them and yet he does not do it, I am 
struck dumb. It is all dark — dark — dark to my 
soul — I can not disguise it." (Barnes Practi- 
cal Ser. p. 123—125.) 

The views of the divine government which he 
obtained from the fearful notions which he at- 
tached to the resurrection, were full of doubt, 
of anguish, of torture. His mind was in perfect, 
darkness, as to the reasons why God should per- 
mit endless suffering, and his soul was torn with 
distress when contemplating its horrors. His 
condition, and that of others to whom we have 
referred, is calculated to excite deep sympathy, 
showing, as it does, the terrible results of a faith 
which mistakes the character of God and the 
nature and intention of his plans and purposes. 
It is an unspeakable misfortune ; one of the great- 
est of misfortunes ; to connect those views with the 
resurrection, which produce the intense agony 
expressed in the language of these individuals — 



116 



HORRORS OF 



to have such conceptions of our heavenly Father, 
as to believe that he will inflict such hideous 
pains on his offending children, as to overwhelm 
the benevolent mind with bitter anguish at the 
bare thought of them. This is real sorrow. An 
individual may lose all his earthly friends. His 
property may be taken from him, and grim pov- 
erty may visit him. He may move in the hum- 
blest sphere of life. He may be despised and 
neglected. But if his faith be clear and vivid 
— if he seef in God a Father, and believe! that 
his government is paternal, and that he will- over- 
rule partial evil for wise purposes and ultimately 
establish universal good — then he is rich. He 
can bear earthly evils with patience, under the 
conviction that a time will come, when endless 
felicity will be enjoyed. But though an individ- 
ual should have all the wealth, honors, and fash- 
ions which the world can afford, yet what are all 
these, if, at the same time, he possess a faith, 
the contemplation of which diffuses a mortal 
poison into his existence, makes life a cruel bit- 
ter, sometimes causes him to feel like doubting 
every thing, and fills his mind with torture ? — 
They are nothing — since, in such a condition, 
no enjoyment can be had. 

Now look at these descriptions ! Behold the 
blighting influences of error ! Consider well the 
sufferings which these men have endured ! And 
tell me, if that look and that consideration do not 
make you feel grateful to God, for having gra- 
ciously delivered you from such errors, from 
such sufferings? Tell me, if you do not more 
appreciate the importance and preciousness of 
that faith in the resurrection and its results, whose 
belief fills the soul with joy unspeakable and 
full of glory ? If you do not, it is because you 



ENDLESS MISERY. 



117 



are not exercised either by love for God or love 
for truth, which certainly is no condition for the 
Christian to be in. 

Let us take another course to show, not only 
the power, but also the characteristics of truth. 
We have seen that certain views of the resur- 
rection and its fruits, result in intense agony. — 
We hence conclude, that such views are errone- 
ous, because the faith which the apostle presents, 
produces joy unspeakable and full of glory. — 
The effects of the two, of truth and error, are as 
widely contrasted, as joy and agony, as light and 
darkness — indeed, are as opposed to each other, 
as any opinions can well be. This fact is not 
only established by the influences of error upon 
individuals, but by the consequences which truth 
has wrought out in the souls of believers. Let 
us, then, look' at some instances which show 
forth these consequences. 

With what different emotions are we exercised, 
when we examine the case of aged Simeon, from 
those which we feel when our sympathies are 
called forth by the sufferings produced by error. 
When this servant of God went into the temple, 
and saw the infant Savior — -when, by the pierc- 
ing eye of prophetic faith, he discovered the ca- 
reer of glory that would be awarded to the 
truth, which the child he held in his arms would 
establish in the earth — when, under its influence, 
he beheld the errorist enlightened, "the sinner 
converted, the wanderer brought home to his fa- 
ther's house, the suffering sustained, the mourn- 
ing comforted, and the dying filled with sublime 
courage — when he foresaw the conclusion of the 
reign of the Savior, who, having finished sin, 
banished disease and pain, dissipated all error by 
the light of truth, anrl swallowed up death in 



118 



HORRORS OF 



victory, will then give up the kingdom to God 
the Father, that he may be all in all — when all 
these facts came thronging into his mind, he was 
animated with ecstatic feelings. In the strength 
of his faith, he said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy 
servant depart in peace, according to thy word ; 
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." (Luke 2 : 
29, 30.) He lost all fear of death in the glory of 
such sublime considerations; for his joy was 
complete ; his cup of peace was full. 

Aftetr the apostle Paul had dwelt upon the 
final redemption of the Jews, after the fulness of 
the Gentiles shall have come in, believing that 
God had "concluded them all in unbelief, that 
he might have mercy on all, 5 ' he shows the effect 
which his faith had upon him, by breaking out in 
glowing language, " O the depth of the riches 
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! how 
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways 
past finding out ! For who hath known the mind 
of the Lord ? or who hath been his counsellor ? 
Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be 
recompensed unto him again ? For of him, and 
through him, and to him, are all things ; to whom 
be glory forever. Amen." (Rom. 11 : 33 — 36.) 

After having, in another instance, proved the 
resurrection of all men and their final subjection to 
the reign of the Savior's truth and love, who 
will then yield his mediatorial kingdom to God, 
he utters the joyfulness of his soul in the follow- 
ing language : — " So when this corruptible shall 
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall 
have put on immortality, then shall be brought 
to pass the saying that is written, death is swal- 
lowed up in victory. O death ! where is~thy 
sting ? O grave ! where is thy victory ? The 



ENDLESS MISERY. 



119 



sting of death is sin ; and the strength of sin is 
the law. But thanks be to God. who giveth us 
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." — ■ 
(1 Cor. 15: 54 — 57.) In this glowing passage, 
we discover that his faith rejoiced him " with joy 
unspeakable and full of glory." 

Uninspired individuals have been exercised 
by the same happiness, when contemplating 
the truth. Take, for instance, the following 
passage from the writings of Henry Brooke of 
Ireland. "And thus, in the grand and final 
consummation, when every will shall be sub- 
dued to the will of good to all, our Jesus will take 
in hand the resigned chordage of our hearts ; 
he will tune them as so many instruments, and 
will touch them with the finger of his own divine 
feelings. Then shall the wisdom, and the 
might, and the goodness of our God, become the 
wisdom, might, and goodness of all his intelligent 
creatures ; the happiness of each shall multiply 
and overflow, in the wishes and participation of 
the happiness of all ; the universe shall begin to 
sound with the song of congratulation ; and all 
voices shall break forth in an eternal hallelujah 
of praise transcending praise, and glory tran- 
scending glory, to 'God and the Lamb ! There 
shall be no lapse thenceforward, no falling away 
forever ; but God in Christ, and Christ in his re- 
deemed, shall be a will, and a wisdom, and an 
action, and a mightiness, and a goodness, and a 
graciousness, and a glory rising on glory, and 
a blessing rising on blessedness, through an ever- 
beginning to a never-ending eternity." (Modern 
Hist, of Universal ism. pp. 197, 198.) 

The renowned Lavater experienced the same 
glowing transport under the influence of Chris- 
tian faith. He says : — " My prayers were com- 



120 HORRORS OF 

prehensive. My family, my friends, my fellow - 
citizens, my enemies, all Christians, all men, 
were included in them. I flew to the most dis- 
tant seas. I penetrated into the deepest mines 
and dungeons. I embraced in my heart, all 
that is called man." (Ibid pp. 158, 159.) 

The celebrated Dr. Rush, when speaking of 
the spread of benevolent thoughts and improve- 
ments, said : — " At present they lead men to ad- 
mire and celebrate human lights and human 
deliverers — but ere long, public admiration and 
praise will rise to him who is the true light of 
the world, and who only delivers from evils of 
every kind. At present we wish liberty to the 
whole world — but the next touch of the celestial 
magnet upon the human heart, will direct it into 
wishes for the salvation of all mankind." (Ibid : 
p. 360.) 

And then, how many instances might be cited, 
of individuals, slowly sinking in death, beneath 
its wrenching a cronies, vet who manifested no 
fear, though convinced that they must bid 
farewell to the attractions and joys of this beau- 
tiful world. Their minds, glowing with the ra- 
diance of Gospel truth, were not only sus- 
tained, but filled with triumphant anticipations 
of the future life — anticipations which taught 
them to be resigned to the divine will, and 
to depart out of existence with the words of hea- 
venly truth lingering upon their lips. 

In these cases, we find illustrations of the joy- 
ful effects of the doctrine of Christ. We do not 
see in them any power which diffuses such 
poison in the soul, as makes life itself a cruel 
bitter — a power to make some- melancholy and 
others mad — no dark and gloomy views, such as 
cause the mind, at times, to doubt every thing— 



ENDLESS MISERY. 



121 



no such te2Tible forebodings as rack the soul 
with torture. On the contrary, they express 
such ecstatic confidence ; such thrilling emotions 
of happiness ; such sublime views of the opera- 
tions of God's benignant providence ; that, 
were the apostle now on earth, he could well say 
to men, " Whom/' Jesus, " having not seen, ye 
love ; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet 
believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and 
full of glory," 



SERMON X. 



LIMITED AND UNIVERSAL COMPASSION. 

" And God said unto Jonah, doest thou well to be angry for 
the gourd ] And he said, I do well to be angry Tor the 
gourd, even unto death. Then said the Lord, Thou hast 
had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not labored, 
neither madest it grow ; which came up in a night and 
perished in a night. And should not I spare Nineveh, that 
great city, wherein are more than six score thousand per - 
sons, that cannot discern between their right hand and 
their left hand ; and also much cattle." (Jonah 4 : 9, 10, 11) 

Jonah was sent to warn the inhabitants of 
Nineveh of the destruction which impended 
over them. He was ordered to tell them, that 
unless they turned from their wickedness, this 
destruction would fall on them with complete 
ruin. They gave good heed to his preaching, 
repented of their sins, and averted the judg- 
ment from smiting them. 

Now, at the first thought, it would seem as 
though the sympathy of our common humanity 
ought to have caused Jonah to rejoice over this 
result of his mission. His soul should have 
leaped with joy, when he saw that the misery 
which would have been caused by the over- 
throw of that great city, was prevented by their 
reformation. But it was not so. For, absurdly 
supposing that the city ought to be destroyed, 
because he had declared to the people that if 



C0B1PASSI0N. 



123 



they persisted in their sins they would meet with 
just punishment, he was angry, and besought 
the Lord to take his life, for the, reason that the 
city had not been ruined. And, perhaps suppo- 
sing that God would yet overthrow Nineveh, and 
gratify an angry cruelty so unbecoming a pro- 
phet, Jonah went out of the city, and watched 
to see what would befal the Ninevites. But 
while waiting, the Lord prepared a mode of 
showing Jonah that his anger was foolish and 
cruel, and that his conduct was sinful and unbe- 
coming. 

A gourd was made to spring up, whose shade 
sheltered Jonah through the day from the heat 
of the sun. But the following night, the gourd, 
being smitten by a worm, withered and died. 
The next day, the sun beat down so vehemently, 
that Jonah wished he might die. Then came 
the pungent rebuke, " Thou hast had pity on 
the gourd, for the which thou hast not labored, 
neither madest it grow ; which came up in a 
night and perished in a night ; and should I not 
spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more 
than six score thousand persons, that can not 
discern between their right hand and their left 
hand V 9 This simple yet startling appeal must 
have produced a powerful effect upon the feel- 
ings of Jonah. It showed him how completely 
his bitterness of soul had swallowed up all sym- 
pathy for the wretched. He had sympathy, al- 
beit the sympathy of selfish anger, for the gourd ; 
an inanimate thing, which could not think, could 
not suffer, could not feel anguish in the act of 
perishing. But for the thousands of thinking, 
sentient people who inhabited Nineveh, whose 
destruction would cause the streets of that city 
to flow with blood and produce intense distress, 



124 



LIMITED AND 



he exercised no sympathy. So completely was 
he wrapped up in his narrow and mistaken no- 
tions of prophetic honor, that he concluded that 
his veracity was destroyed by the salvation of 
Nineveh. He thought that Nineveh ought to have 
been overthrown, if for nothing else, yet to sustain 
his false views of the character of a prophet. 
Hence, while he greatly sorrowed over the with- 
ering of the simple gourd, he was angry because 
ruin had been averted from Nineveh, instead of 
rejoicing that its people had found redemption 
from disaster, by pursuing the paih of sincere 
repentance. 

Such are the facts with which the text is con- 
nected. Under these facts, is still another fact, 
not so completely on the surface as the rest, which 
I wish to bring up to inspection, inasmuch as it 
is to be the subject of farther consideration. It 
is the fact, that the sympathies of the soul may 
be completely blinded and misdirected, so that 
while they shall act with intensity upon compa- 
ratively minor objects, yet they shall be compla - 
cent and inactive in regard to momentous and 
absorbing questions which involve the excessive 
anguish of millions. Jonah lamented the fate of 
the gourd. Its appearance was pleasant and its 
shade refreshing. He therefore regretted its 
loss. But where was his sympathy for the peo- 
ple of Nineveh ? Where were his prayers for 
their deliverance ? Where was his rejoicing 
when their doom was averted ? Here he had 
no sympathy, no benevolent feeling. The adults 
might perish ; the youth might be cut off in the 
streets ; the wail of infants might be heard in 
the hour of their suffering ; but the contempla- 
tion of such results called no answering cry for 
mercy from his soul. They found him cold, pas- 



UNIVERSAL COMPASSION. 



125 



i sionless, and unmoved, yet exercised with anger 
because the ruin was not consummated without 
regard to the repentance of Nineveh. 

This inconsistency in the application of hu- 
man sympathy on the one hand, and the limiting 
it to minor objects on the other, is every where 
discoverable. Precisely what is meant by this 
statement, is unfolded in the following fact. — - 
When, the Russian Emperor Nicholas, lost his 
daughter by death, some years since, he fainted. 
His paternal affection was so strong, and the 
shock was so great, on witnessing the sufferings 
and departure of his beloved child, that he was 
overcome by his anguish. But when the sons 
of unhappy Poland were bravely struggling for 
the land and rights of their fathers, of which 
they had been deprived by oppressive tyranny ; 
and when armies, by the will of the Russian 
autocrat, were slaughtering those sons ; when 
he drowned the Polish nation in a sea of blood ; 
and when the Imperial robber and ravisher 
stole thousands of her daughters to be placed in 
the tents of his soldiers ; did all this suffering 
cause him to faint ? did he show any sympathy 
which led him in the least degree to check the 
widespread ruin he produced ? He mourned 
for his child. State purposes, increase of terri- 
tory, and love of power, absorbed all his kind- 
ness, and left him without one ray of mercy for 
the victims of his tyranny. 

Precisely the same spirit is manifested every- 
where in the world, only upon different objects. 
People sympathize deeply, warmly, and fervent- 
ly with some scenes of misery, when upon 
others, which they believe to be transpiring to a 
vast and terrific extent, they are cold and pas- 
sionless. Many reasons can be offered to ac- 



126 



LIMITED AND 



count for this fact. The benevolence of the 
soul may be so uncultivated, so restrained, so 
cramped, as to move only when misery meets 
its eye, as to offer no utterances of good for 
those who are suffering afar off, however great 
and extensive their agony. Or it may be, that 
false notions, erroneous views, deaden it with 
leaden slumber,and stifle its beautiful unfoldings. 
Or it may be, that continual contact with woe ; 
or the burying of the mind under the influences 
of pernicious doctrines ; may render the soul 
callous to distress, even when, in other circum- 
stances, the slightest forms of agony would 
arouse its irrepressible energies. Let a man be 
stricken in the streets — let his blood pour out 
its crimson tide — let his body quiver with keen 
pain, and our sympathies would be powerfully 
aroused, and our earnest assistance rendered. 
Let now our nation be at war with another peo- 
ple — let the news come, that our army had gain- 
ed a signal victory over and annihilated its op- 
posing force, what rejoicing there would be in 
our midst ! what exultation — what praise for the 
soldiers who had served their native land ! But 
this very exultation and glory of victory would 
lull our humane sympathies to sleep. For in 
that hour of triumph, who of us would think of 
the battle-field, with its dead bodies, covered 
with its shrieking victims, and slippery with 
blood — who of us would think of the widows 
and orphans whose cries and groans would come 
shrieking madly through the tones of triumph 
and victory ? Our eyes would see none of these 
horrors. Why ? Because our benevolence 
would be swallowed up by national pride. 
While, in the case of the individual who suffers 
in our streets, nothing intervenes to prevent the 



UNIVERSAL COMPASSION. 



127 



exercise of an active sympathy. We should 
mourn for the breaking gourd. But who would 
lament for fallen Nineveh, if the flag of victory 
waved over its ruins ? Now, it is evident, that 
if benevolence had its true and expansive sweep, 
we should not only remember those who suffer 
within our immediate notice, but also the innu- 
merable evils of war — and that enlightened be- 
nevolence, by concentrating its energies, would 
teach the nations to avoid those evils, by doing 
right, which would do away all necessity for war. 
Then, not only would the gourd be protected 
from the storm, but Nineveh itself would be 
safe from harm, and strong with peace and joy. 
> >The position here taken, is unfolded with mel- 
ancholy accuracy in portions of church history. 
Go back into the past, into those ages of iron? 
when, for honest dissent, ruin was the conse- 
quence — when, if by the exercise of mind, the 
established creeds of the day were rejected, 
death was the penalty. Look at the meanest 
member of the dominant church of those days, 
in the time of his distress, his sickness, and his 
death. Was he without sympathy ? The Papal 
religion had a hand of kindess to extend to 
him, as it had for even the humblest of its faith- 
ful followers. His wants were supplied, the 
prayer for mercy went up to heaven from the 
lips of the minister at his bed-side, his last hours 
were cheered with kind words, and his body was 
tenderly laid in its resting place. Here, under 
the shadow of the church and its creeds, there 
was sympathy enough, and sorrow wept when 
the gourd perished. But how was it with the 
thousands of heretics who rejected those creeds, 
and who asked for the privilege of worshiping 
God according to the dictates of their own con- 



128 LIMITED AND 

sciences ? Sympathy was extended to them — - 
but it was such sympathy as comes from the 
mouth of the cannon, the point of the bayonet, 
and the thrust of the sword. The powers that 
were, even while professing to act in the name 
of the Savior, influenced by their cruel opin- 
ions and bitter prejudices, stifled all compassion 
for heretics, and called forth their armies to* 
burn and pillage towns, desolate fruitful fields, 
and slay the old, the middle-aged, the youth,, 
and the infant, without mercy. And what ren- 
ders this lack of compassion still more striking 
and horrible, is, that these fierce persecutors be- 
lieved that the souls of the slain heretics went 
to intolerable and endless anguish. They be- 
lieved that their victims could not escape this 
doom. Here we have the strange inconsistency 
of tearful sympathy for the death of the be- 
lieving beggar ; and yet that sympathy wholly 
destroyed in bitter hate of those who endured 
most dreadful suffering for claiming the right 
of freedom of discussion and of faith. 

We discover the same inconsistency at the 
present day. There is lamentation in the land 
for the perishing gourd, but no wailing for the 
doomed city of souls. The eye of benevolence 
is dim. It sees but a little way. It is blinded, 
and great things are hidden from it. Open your 
ears and harken with me. — There is a great cry 
in the world against slavery, against its iniquity. 
There is sympathy for bondmen, and the call is 
urgent that they be permitted to go free. All 
very well. We like not bondange of any char- 
acter, for any man. We would that every man 
had his rights. And we believe that the time 
will come in the Providence of God, when each 
individual man will have his interests regarded. 



UNIVERSAL COMPASSION, 



129 



We look for it with hope. Powers are constant- 
ly toiling to bring it about. Noble and precious 
seed have been sown. And, watered by the 
dews of divine grace and the blood of the Sa- 
vior, they will spring up with an abundant 
harvest. 

But there are slaves, they say, in the other 
world— millions of slaves, whose bondage will 
be endless ; for whom freedom will never be 
granted. Where is the deep sympathy for 
them ? When we plead for the abolition of 
slavery, not only in this, but also in the future 
state — when we strive to show, by the testimony 
furnished us by the Father of souls, that the 
future state is not a state of bondage, but of im- 
mortal liberty — do the souls of the great mass 
of the people thrill with rejoicing, and hail the 
news with that joy which filled angels when the 
sinner was saved ? There is but little sympa- 
thy here. The prospect that the saying is not 
true, which declares that spiritual slavery shall 
be perpetuated, seems to excite indignant con- 
tempt, and they sit down afar 01% to see the 
Lord wreak his vengeance .on the city of sin- 
ners. Is the spirit of angry Jonah in our midst ! 

This lack of extended sympathy is remarka- 
ble. Let now but one man cry out with hurt 
in our streets — let us hear of but one family 
suffering from want amid the storms of winter- 
let even but a dog howl in the agony of a broken 
limb — and there is sympathy ; effective sympa- 
thy. There is an ardent desire to remove that 
suffering ; and this desire is manifested with- 
out regard to creed. It is the action of one 
of the best principles common to human nature. 
A principle, which, when instructed by the sub- 
lime spirit of Christianity, stretches out its arms 



130 



LIMITED AND 



of love around the entire race. But when we 
go away from these immediate objects of suffer- 
ing, and enter the other world, to contemplate 
the horrors, which many believe the wicked 
will there endure through endless ages — when 
strong minds task their powers to the utmost, to 
present the most terrific descriptions of the in- 
creasing and unfailing sufferings of the "finally* 
impenitent" — we discover lack of sympathy for 
these victims of wrath. There is a complete 
apathy of feeling, a sullen harshness in regard 
to them. Those who would shed tears of sorrow 
on witnessing an ordinary exhibition of earthly 
misery, are like ice in view of ceaseless 
anguish. 

After all, why should we expect it to be oth- 
erwise, when it is very evident, that unless the 
utmost care be used to cultivate the affections 
thoroughly, familiarity with suffering, whether 
men see it in fact or contemplate it in a creed, 
generally encrusts the warm and beating heart 
of sympathy with ice. This position is so ob= 
vious, that it neither needs proof nor illustration. 
If, then, people are taught to believe, that in the 
future world they, as saints, will not cherish the 
least emotion of pity for the lost, but on the 
contrary, as one has said, the sufferers of end- 
less woe will be "'exposed to the holy scorn of 
saints and angels, 55 why should it be surprising 
that those who thus believe should, with very 
few exceptions, exhibit the same apathy and in- 
difference in this world as it regards endless 
suffering, which they expect to exhibit in the fu- 
ture state of being ? The fact is, communion 
with such sentiments and long familiarity with 
such creeds, are calculated to blunt human sym- 
pathy, and to enable one to talk about the com- 



UNIVERSAL COMPASSION, 



131 



plete destruction of myriads of the race, without 
the least trace of emotion or pity. The gourd 
cannot perish this side of the grave, without be- 
ing attended with tears of compassion. But be- 
yond the grave, vast Ninevehs of the humae 
family may be overwhelmed with ruin, and the 
sight thereof, instead of inducing one prayer in 
heaven for mercy, will excite " holy scorn and 
exultation*" 

Now, out of the fact, that there is a doctrine 
which thus blunts the most generous powers of 
the human mind, we deduce a strong moral ar- 
gument against its truth. Place the foundation 
of the argument with Jonah. He had pity for 
the withered gourd. This was well. Is it not 
evident, that any view of the prophetic character 
and honor, which so operated upon his feelings, 
as to prepare him for the destruction of Nineveh 
without one regret for the fate of its people, was 
a wrong and a false view ? The decision is? 
clear. Now it is equally evident, that the 
highest possible cultivation of the sympathy and 
benevolence of human nature, is what men 
greatly need — a sympathy and benevolence 
which will extend their hands of love to all the 
suffering every where. That doctrine which 
checks and limits this instruction of marrs be- 
nevolence — which teaches us, that in the high- 
est condition of which the soul is capable, viz : 
immortality and felicity, it-will exhibit no com- 
passion for those who dwell in anguish — such a 
doctrine must be erroneous, because wrong in 
its moral influence. 

But this coldness and indifference may per- 
haps find strength from the circumstance, that 
our Savior never exhibited any sympathy for 
those who may suffer in the future state. Is it 



132 



LIMITED A?*!) 



not sufficient that the follower be as his Lord in 
this respect ? The life of the Savior was full 
of sympathy, of active goodness. He wept in 
view of the doom which rested in gloom over 
Jerusalem. He lamented the fate which awaited 
its women and children. Not even the agonies 
of death could quench his love, which, extending 
to all the world, did not cease to regard his bit- 
terest foes. For, in its simple grandeur, it 
made that prayer like heaven,, which in the sol- 
emn hour of his dissolution, breathed forgiveness 
for his enemies. In the whole course of his 
life ; a life which throws its light of purity over 
the world, with broad and cheering smiles of vir- 
tue ; a life upon whose sublime holiness, not 
even the wildest unbelief can hang a true doubt ; 
in that life, no instance can be found, where 
our Savior exulted over the misfortunes of any 
of his race. He was ever imbued with the 
spirit of the doctrine of the universal brother- 
hood of man. Yet he never exhibited any sym- 
pathy for those who shall suffer in the other state 
of existence — never did he do this. And why ? 
Can you give the reason ? It was because he 
knew that there would be no endless sufferers in 
the world of immortality. For, knowing that 
his office was to destroy all suffering, he well 
understood that there would not be any endless- 
ly anguished souls to call for sympathy. 

The thought to which these views give im- 
pulse, is, that Christians should grow in sympa- 
thy and benevolence. The, gourd should not 
only be attended with sympathy in the hour of 
its fading but that sympathy should grow and 
expand, until it reach every soul in the great 
city of life. And the more it grows and ex- 
pands, the more Christians will be like the spirit 
of heaven, of the Savior, of Christianity. Look 



UNIVERSAL COMPASSION* 



138 



at the following incident. A child was in dan- 
ger of being crushed in a crowded street. A 
woman was observed rushing toward it, with 
distress depicted in her features and actions. — 
She was asked if it was her child. She an- 
swered, "No! but it i s somebody's child." Her 
affections extended to other children than her 
own. So every man is the child of some one, 
even the child of God — and for him and for all, 
we should have sympathy. 

And what is better calculated to improve this 
benevolent spirit and give it new and greater 
triumphs over the passions of men, than the 
doctrines which teach us that God regards every 
man with love and care ? The belief that He 
will, in his divine sympathies, purify and exalt 
all the race in the accomplishment of his plans, 
will teach us to imbibe His spirit and to strive 
for the good of men on earth. Communion 
with such a divine and benignant doctrine, must 
gradually bring, men to its own tendencies and 
spirit. That work it may now do imperfectly, 
in a limited manner, and under much constraint. 
The reason is, it has many obstacles to contend 
with. There are so many doctrines taught 
which are diverse to it — the effects of old opin- 
ions and prejudices still hang about so many of 
its believers — and it takes so long for people to 
grow into a doctrine even after being convinced 
of its truth — that there can be no wonder that 
its complete influences are not now unfolded.— 
But it will struggle on with the passions of men, 
and in time obtain complete sway over them. — ■ 
Already the morning light is appearing. The 
" Sun of righteousness" is rising, and will go 
on to meridian splendor, and will fill every soul 
with the light of God's infinite and universal 
Love. 



SERMON XL 



THE INSIDIOUSNESS OF SIN. 

rt And Hazael said, 'but what ! is thy servant a dog, that he 
should do this great thing V And Elisha answered, ( the 
Lord hath showed me that thoushalt be king over Syria.' " 
(2 Kings, 8: 13.) 

About eight hundred and eighty five years be- 
fore Christ, Ben-hadad reigned in Syria. He 
was sick. With all his power and wealth, he 
could not resist the ravages of disease. While 
racked with anxiety to recover, he was told that 
Elisha, "the man of God," was visiting Damas- 
cus. The king commanded Hazael to take a 
present for the prophet, and go and inquire of 
Elisha if he should recover from his sickness. 
Hazael did as he was ordered by Ben-hadad. 

To the inquiry, Elisha returned this remarka- 
ble answer : " Go, say unto him, thou mayest 
certainly recover ; howbeit the Lord hath showed 
me that he shall surely die." By this answer, 
Elisha meant to say, that the sickness of Ben-ha- 
dad was not fatal ; that he might recover from it ; 
but that some other cause would put an end to 
his life. Having recorded this reply, the histo- 
rian remarks of the prophet: "And he settled 
his countenance steadfastly, until he was asha- 
med ; and the man of God wept." (vs. 11) 



INSIDIOUSNESS OP SIN. 



135 



That is, the prop* t settled his countenance with 
a stern look upon Hazael, until he quailed under 
it, with shame and guilt. Then tears of sorrow 
gushed from the eyes of Elisha. He read the 
thoughts of the guilty man before him. He saw 
that Hazael would destroy his king, and, having 
gained power by a treacherous deed, that he 
would use it with the cruelty of a ferocious beast. 
Hence, the prophet told him that he would be 
the ravager and oppressor of Israel, and would 
treat its people with extraordinary and bloody 
harshness. Hazael answered by saying, "But 
what ! is thy servant a dog, that he should do 
this great thing ?" (vs. 13.) Hazael was surprised, 
that the prophet should consider him so despica- 
ble as to perform this great wickedness — a wick- 
edness that would sink him in meanness with the 
dog, which was considered an emblem of mean- 
ness in his country. The prophet answered, 
" The Lord hath showed me that thou shalt be 
king over Syria." Hazael returned to his king, 
and told him what the prophet had said in regard 
to his recovery. But the next day, Hazael placed 
a wet cloth over the face of the king and strang- 
led him. Hazael then usurped the throne, and 
reigned over Syria. Subsequent history informs 
us, that his cruelty grew upon him. He became 
bloody in desire and thirsty for conquest. He 
oppressed the land of Israel with fire and sword. 
No wonder that the man of God wept, when he 
foresaw that this wicked king would become the 
dreadful scourge of the land of Palestine. 

This instance has been chosen, not because it 
better illustrates our subject than the history of 
any other wicked man, whose history is recorded 
in the Old Testament. It shows, perhaps, as well 
as any other case, the insidiousness and the pro- 



135 INSIDIOUSNESS OF SIN. 

gress of sinful desires, and $eir development in 
open wickedness* 

There is no reason for supposing that Hazael 
was, at first, more wicked than other men. This 
conclusion is indicated by the surprise which he 
exhibited, when the prophet described the cruel- 
ties of which he would be the author. But, sur- 
rounded by temptations to acquire power, the 
subtle lust of dominion was aroused in his souL 
The helplessness of his master in his prostration 
by sickness, affording him an opportunity of ob- 
taining the throne of Syria, excited his lust into 
vigorous action. The flame was fanned into a 
consuming blaze, which resulted in murder. The 
power, gained by treachery, ripened into thirst 
for dominion ; and, in obtaining that dominion, 
war was inflicted on the children of Israel, in its 
most terrific forms and with horrible results. In 
all this — in being actuated by desires which in- 
sidiously continued to creep in mastery over his 
better feelings, until they were consummated in 
cruelty and treachery — Hazael exhibited no 
workings of passion differing from those attached 
to human nature in all ages. Difference of cir- 
cumstances will, of course, vary the results to 
which the activity of lust and passion may lead ; 
but the constitution of man in the present age, 
and the entire growth of evil desire from con- 
ception onward to the full fruit of crime, are pre- 
cisely the same now as were those which led 
Adam to disobedience and moral death in the 
Garden, and transformed Hazael from an'obedi- 
ent servant into a murderer and a cruel king. 
The same serpent winds itself around us — the 
same passions operate within us — the same ef- 
fects are exhibited. The whole train of 
action in the soul of Hazael, with its open conse- 



INSIDIOUSNESS OF SIN. 



137 



quences, may be read over again in the historv 
of some of the frightful monsters who rose out 
of the French Revolution. The same deception 
which chained Ananias and Sapphira to their 
fate, may be seen, in countless instances, in the 
world around us. Human nature presents the 
same features, under the same circumstances, in 
all ages. 

The insidiousness of sin ; the secret but steady 
progress with which it gains certain ascendancy 
over its victims ; is a subject full of warning and 
instruction of the greatest importance. Sin very 
often begins in a lurking desire, which, as it ob- 
tains fixedness in the soul, speaks of pleasure, 
which it promises to yield. It gently, at com- 
• mencement, bends the moral powers and intellect 
to its wishes, until the mastery is obtained, when 
it rapidly developes the hideous deformities of 
outward vice. All this we can discover plainly 
enough in those persons who fall into sin. We 
read this lesson every where — in Holy Writ — 
in the drama of human life. But with a strange, 
infatuated blindness, each individual thinks, if 
not theoretically yet practically, that he is not 
bound by the law which connects inward lust 
with outward sin, even though he may be sowing 
the same seed which has produced the fruit of 
sin in others. He does not dream, that he can 
fall into the grave of moral death, though pur- 
suing the same road which has led others into it. 
Such is the insidiousness of sin. Hazael was 
blind to its consequences. Thousands are now, 
and thousands will be, blind to its results. If 
they are warned of its inevitable fruits, they think 
the warning is childish, and that wickedness has: 
no power to ruin them. 

Take the young man who is just acquiring a 

Cr 2 



13S INSIDIOTTSNESS OF SIX. 

relish for the use of intoxicating drinks; in Whose 
soul the germ of lust is just forming, and a pow- 
er is slowly gathering strength which will swaL 
low up his better feelings and resolutions. Tell 
him that he will ultimately become a miserable, 
ruined man — that he will destroy his mind, fill 
his body with disease, dissipate his property, neg- 
lect and ill-treat his wife and children, become 
despised of men, and, at last, die in disgrace ; 
and that, in this way, instead of being useful and 
honorable in life, he will be a pest to society— 
and he will scorn the prediction ; he will laugh 
at the statement, as an impossible thing. He will 
be more surprised, if possible, than was Hazael 
at the description which Elisha gave of his fu- 
ture character; and, perchance, say, "Am I the 
despicable dog to commit all this'wickedness ? " 
Well he may say this, if his mind be not vividly 
awake to the insidiousness and continued pro- 
gress of sin. Well he may say this, if he be a 
man of kind feelings, of a high sense of honor, 
of respectability, and of hopeful desire. Well 
he may say this, if he will look at his present 
condition and consider the awful situation descri- 
bed in the prediction. He may have no imme- 
diate fear : for it is not to-day nor to-morrow that 
the cloud shall overshadow him with its gloom ; 
for it may not have even begun to appear on the 
horizon of his character. He need have no 
dread that the torrent, will burst at once upon him 
with full power ; for it will not, any more than 
a river will be as mighty at its source as at its 
entrance into the ocean. His fear and dread 
should be directed to the lust which is growing 
stronger within him — to the habit which is in- 
creasing in its mastery over the moral powers 
and the intellect— to the desire for improper stim- 



INSIDIOUSNESS OF SIN. 



139 



ulus which consumes as it advances—to the 
startling fact, that, in every successive indul= 
gence, the voice of conscience, the emotions of 
hope, the vigor of faith, and the aspirations of 
veneration j become more feeble, It is on these 
apparently small proofs, that the prediction is 
founded. And, if persisted in, they inevitably 
lead to the fatal conclusion to which he thinks 
it impossible for him to arrive. And though, 
such is the insidious and debasing nature of sin, 
he may not discover his gradual approximation 
to ruin ; yet, to the careful observer, it is evident 
and marked. 

How fatal is the delusion under which many 
labor in regard to this evil. They dream not 
that the work of ruin begins among the passions 
— that the elements of corruption gather their 
power as unsuspectingly in the soul, as subtle 
disease sows its seed in the body. They are 
forgetful that they are establishing the cause of 
vice within themselves ; and yet are astonished, 
as was HazaeL when told of the result which 
that cause must produce. Such individuals fol- 
low a chain, which commences with lust within. 
At first, it glitters with the gold of promised hap- 
piness. As they trace it, it becomes iron to the 
grasp ; but it soon changes into a coil of serpents, 
stinging and hissing with horror. 

Look at another form of illustration, which 
bears as directly upon our subject as the one al- 
ready given. Take a man who is considered 
honorable, and as the personification of integrity. 
He has crowds of friends who admire and respect 
him. Life is full of attractions to him. Appa- 
rently, there is not a thorn in his path. No bri- 
ars are in it. Picture to the eyes of that man, a 
criminal-one who has abused his sacred trust; and 




140 



INSIDIOUSNESS OF SIN. 



stolen the property confided to his charge — one 
who has entirely destroyed his reputation, and 
has become despised of men. Tell him that such 
will be his fate, and he will exclaim, " What ! 
•am I a dog, a despicable man, to do this great 
thing V Well he may be astonished ; for so great 
is the contrast of conditions, that his friends would 
call such a prediction unjust and improbable. 

But within him, where no human vision can 
reach, lust is gathering power. He has pleasures 
which his means will not sustain. To satisfy 
them ; or else to meet a craving desire for sud- 
den riches without productive labor ; he commen- 
ces, for instance, the purchase of lottery-tickets. 
At each failure, ungoverned lust' becomes more 
excited; unruled desire more craving. Blind 
hope leads him along. Judgment and the moral 
powers are overruled. To carry on his plans, 
the bank, or the post-office, or the institution to 
which he belongs, is robbed. Even now he may 
not deem himself a criminal. Even now he may 
not see that the prediction is about to be fulfilled, 
and that the voice of justice is about to cry loud- 
ly against him. Lust is still at work. The 
blindness of sin is over him. And, in an evil 
way, he expects to obtain means to cover his ac- 
tions and to preserve his character untarnished. 
But a greater robbery breaks the veil of secrecy ; 
his outward integrity and honor no longer shield 
him ; and, before the eyes of the world, he stands, 
a criminal. Inward passion has developed itself 
in open vice. He is a ruined man. Would he, 
at first, have thought that such would-be his con- 
duct ? Neither did Hazael believe that he would 
ever become the wicked man, whom the prophet 
described. Would his friends have believed it 
possible ? Yet the annals of society furnish many 



INSIDIOCJSNESS OF SIN* 



141 



such facts. So insidious are the d awnings of 
sin ; so easy is it to glide into ruin ; that the 
thoughts, we have uttered, find their truth every 
where. 

Lust and sin, and forms of lust and forms of 
sin, are connected — are interwoven with each 
other, and follow each other successively. An 
individual may be governed by right intentions 
and correct motives. But let one form of lust 
spring up in his soul — let it be cherished there, 
until it out-influences conscience and judgment 
— let it be indulged in outward action, and be 
fulfilled in the sin to which it is the guide — and 
straightway this lust will produce another lust, 
and that another sin, and that sin other sins, un- 
til the individual becomes the slave of crime and 
excess, in all their forms. The first suggestion 
of sin may make the individual shrink from 
obeying it, as Hazael shrunk from the communi- 
cation of the prophet ; but the second will be 
likely to have less influence ; and so on, until 
dislike decreases, and the serpent cries, " Ye shall 
not surely die," and promises happiness in eating 
the forbidden fruit. Oh ! well is lust and its fruit, 
sin, represented by a serpent which glides with- 
out noise, moves almost unseen, and charms with 
a design of death and an influence full of poison. 
Every day the scene in the Garden is re-enacted, 
and poor victims, listening to the voice of passion, 
meet a fate, from which they would, at first, have 
shrunk with more horror than did Hazael from 
the character which the prophet described to him. 
Well did the apostle say, "But every man is 
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, 
and enticed. Then, when lust hath conceived, 
it bringeth forth sin ; and sin, when it is finished, 
bringeth forth death." (James 1 : 14, 15.) A 



142 



1NSIDI0USNESS OF SIN* 



more truthful statement could not be drawn from 
human life. It is fulfilled every where. 

The- insidiousness and strength of sin consist 
in the lustful desires which precede it. These 
are the commencement of actual vice. Our 
Savior said, " For out of the heart proceed evil 
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, 
false witness, blasphemies; these are the things 
which defile a man." (Matt. 15: 19, 20.) It is 
an important lesson which is here given. And 
that the roots of these evils are within, is evident 
to careful observation. For instance ; two in- 
dividuals are engaged in an institution, where 
they handle much money. One individual cov- 
ets it. He cherishes the desire to obtain it. He 
thinks of measures to possess it. With this in- 
ternal lust, the money is a constant temptation to 
him. He yields to the temptation, and becomes 
a thief. But, to the other individual, that money 
is no temptation. The reason is, he is influenced 
by a high sense of duty and by correct views of 
his moral obligations. He will, with these guards, 
never think of wronging those who have confided 
in him, by stealing their property. Why is it, 
that money is a strong temptation to one, and not 
to the other? Because one cherishes lust, and 
the money becomes connected with that lust as 
the thing which gratifies it ; but the other, exer- 
cised by virtuous desires, has no other connection 
with the money than as a way of performing his 
duty. Thus, in this, as well as in the various 
moral evils which exist, it is seen that outward 
objects become temptations, only as the 1 passions 
are excited by lust to use those objects as the 
means to sin. Hence, when Elisha described to 
Hazael what a cruel man he would become, the 
evil had already commenced within him. At 



INSIDIOUSNESS 



OF SIX. 



143 



the moment he was listening to the words of the 
prophet, he was lusting after power and domin- 
ion. And that lust became developed in the mur^ 
der of his king and in the frightful oppression of 
the children of Israel, But had he been exer- 
cised with honorable views and a sense of duty, 
the sickness of Ben-hadad would not have been 
a temptation to treacherously end his life, In 
these facts, we discover the meaning of this pas= 
sage : " Unto tile pure all things are pure ; but 
unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is 
nothing pure ; but even their mind and conscience 
is defiled. 5 ' (Titus 1 : 15.) The vitiated mind 
sees evil in all things, because it invests them with 
its own vile thoughts ; but the mind which dwells 
in. virtue, covets no object wrongfully, for it in- 
vests every object with its own holy emotions. 

One peculiar trait of the insidiousness of sin 
and the blindness with which it smites its vota- 
ries, consists not only in not appreciating the 
peril of lust, but in overlooking the consequences 
to which it leads. These consequences, when 
presented by a skillful hand to the cherisher of 
lust, excite abhorrence and disgust, even as Ha- 
zael was disgusted and shrunk from the chara? 
ter described to him. But when lust, in any form, 
arises in the soul, its tendencies are concealed 
and hidden behind a luring promise of pleasure 
in its gratification. And, as it gains strength, 
the emotions of hope, faith, veneration, and con- 
science, become sapped and weakened. The 
intellect, instead of dwelling on pure and noble 
subjects, is made to bend to the dictates of lust, 
and to devise means for its accomplishment. In- 
stead of obtaining a clear knowledge of duty, 
and of bringing the moral powers to the as- 
sistance of the intellect in carrying out right 



144 



INSIDIOUSNESS OF SIN. 



principles to perfect obedience, the soul is made 
a slave to its unholy desires. There may indeed 
be some fear of outward shame, if those desires 
break out into open action ; but as this fear is 
not directed to the encroachments of lust itself, 
so far from changing the inward condition of the 
individual, it only excites him to devise plans 
for its concealment. While the insidious- 
ness of lust is seen, in that it gives the fatal no- 
tion, that if concealment can be effected, sin will 
be a source of pleasure. It is on this delusive 
error, that so many, especially among yguth, 
shipwreck their happiness. They fear outward 
detection ; whereas they should fear themselves ; 
should fear the working of lust and passion within. 
Hazael shrunk from the consequences which the 
prophet described. He ought to have shrunk 
from the state of his mind which led to those 
consequences. This is the fountain of sin's poi- 
soned waters — this, the lurking place of the seeds 
of sin. The gradual growth of evil desire ; the 
familiarity of the soul with forms of sin ; the 
continuance of lust in the mind ; here is the true 
danger; here is the quarter which should be 
most guarded — should be most jealously watched. 

The trouble with Hazael and other sinners, has 
been and is, the cherishing of evil thoughts and the 
frequent consideration of them, until, when the 
opportunity arrived, they fell into the ruin of 
outward sin. It is true, that on more or less oc- 
casions, evil thoughts will obtrude themselves in- 
to every mind. But the evil consists in welcom- 
ing, instead of driving them away. And when 
we consider the fatal results which too often flow 
from cherishing evil thoughts — when we consid- 
er the blinding nature of lust in all its forms— 
we discover the wisdom displayed by our 



INSIDIOTJSNESS of sin. 



145 



Savior in directing his instructions to the roots 
of sin, by condemning evil thoughts, and by dis- 
tinctly pointing out, that outward crimes have 
their commencement in the heart or mind. He 
virtually declares, that whoever cherishes the 
desire of committing wrong of whatever nature, 
is, so far as his conscience is concerned, guilty 
of that wrong. For that individual, who, though 
he may not yet have indulged in open sin, yet 
communes with polluted desires and wishes for 
opportunities to gratify them, is not holy, and is 
far away from the glorious paths of virtue. The 
command, " Thou shalt not covet," developes the 
same wise moral principle. Covetousness pre- 
cedes action. And covetousness in the soul, is 
just as much a sin, as covetousness in very deed 
— in actual outward wrong. Hence, the com- 
mand seeks to make us safe from wrong, by root- 
ing lust from the soul ; by making the fountain 
itself pure and good. 

It is evident, then, where the real danger is— 
where sin makes its insidious attacks- — where its 
blinding power originates. And, with this know- 
ledge, it is equally evident, that to guard against 
sin and to become eminently virtuous, the work 
must be inward ; must be carried on in the depths 
of the soul ; must consist in such a regulation of 
the passions, as to prevent them from running 
into excess ; and in such a subjection of them to 
the moral and intellectual powers, as that evil 
thoughts, when they obtrude themselves into the 
soul, shall, at once, be cast out. And, as this 
work proceeds, the mind will acquire such 
strength, as to instinctively reject, the promptings 
of the various forms of lust, because these prompt- 
ings are wrong and lead to evil consequences. 
The mind must be disciplined, by training it in 
the school of truth and duty. If it constantly 



146 



INSIDTOUSNESS OF SIN. 



commune with improper instruction, lusts will 
arise and lead straight onward to sin. But, if it 
be filled with admirable truth, the judgment and 
moral powers will be masters, and the passions 
will be servants, instead of insatiate and ruinous 
tyrants. 

The Bible is the school for filling the soul with 
lofty and pure thoughts. There God, in all his 
grandeur, love, and grace — there Jesus, ever 
blessed Savior, in all the divinity of his charac- 
ter — there the resurrection, with all its glorious 
views and hallowed associations — there the rec- 
onciliation, with all its elevating and purifying 
influence — there religion, holy in virtue, clear 
in moral instruction, and perfect in pointing out 
human duty — are all nobly displayed, and are 
offered to the soul as its best and most invigora- 
ting food. And the mind which treasures up 
these heavenly communications— the intellect 
which meditates on them — the moral powers 
which are brought into active play by them — 
will be strong to say to every evil thought, " Get 
thee behind me, Satan." Such a mind, nerved 
with truth and powerful with the knowledge of 
duty, will form the outward actions in purity, ho- 
liness, righteousness. That individual, instead 
of being a Hazael in wickedness, and so con- 
ducting that the virtuous and the good will weep 
over his actions, will hear conscience whispering 
with still and gentle voice, "Well done, good 
and faithful servant while men will be glad in 
view of his goodness. 

When the intellect becomes thus instructed — 
when the moral powers become thus strong — 
when the passions become thus subdued — then 
genuine Christian character is formed in the soul, 
and angels rejoice because a sinner is saved and 
a bright jewel added to the crown of Christ, 



SERMON XII. 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS, 
i( Increasing in the knowledge of God/' (Colossians 1 ; 10.) 

There is a picture, which represents an indi- 
vidual pressing onward towards light streaming 
from the skies, and exclaiming, " light ; more 
light still" This individual seems animated by 
an intense earnestness for new accessions of 
knowledge ; by vigorous exertions for higher 
flights in the atmoshere of trurh. He appears 
electrified by the precious thought, that one 
must constantly labor, if one wishes to add to 
his moral and intellectual treasures. 

Admirable truth is here seen. Truth which 
teaches the necessity of progress, of advance. — 
Progress is the great high-road to ultimate per- 
fection. God has made it an imperative law in 
his government. In the grand movements 
which are unfolding in the heavens — in the 
changes which are going on in the earth — all 
things advance, progress, in producing ultimate 
results. Nothing is effected by inertness, slug- 
gishness. There would be no harvests, without 
a ceaseless work in the germination of seed and 
the maturity of their fruits. The seasons, 
with their varied features and peculiar utility 
and joys, are only the results of the earth's rev- 



148 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 



olution around that wondrous body, the sun.— 
The purity of the atmosphere and of the vast 
ocean- waters, is the result of the unfailing ac- 
tivity of forces which are ever driven onward 
by the power of law. The sublime harmony 
and order which prevail throughout the gigantic 
systems that crowd universal space, are con- 
tinually evolving from the progress of movements 
which are beyond all conception complicated 
and yet certain. Thus all physical things are 
in a state of progression, working their way for- 
ward to fulfil some matchless plan of God, whose 
wisdom and glory even the universe itself can- 
not adequately express. 

As in physical things, so in the intellectual, 
moral, and social world, there is progress. The 
vast accumulation of knowledge which man has 
made ; the power which he has gained over the 
elements ; the wonderful changes which have 
been introduced in governmental and social in- 
stitutions ; the admirable discoveries which have 
created the mechanism that has filled the world 
with its noble fruits : the benevolent improve- 
ments which have infused a nobler spirit into 
the treatment of the insane and the criminal ; 
the modification of old creeds, by excluding 
cruel dogmas and the adoption of other princi- 
ples more nearly approaching the truths of 
Christianity ; have all been procured by pro- 
gress. The splendid hopes which now illuminate 
many portions of the civilized world ; the grad- 
ual advance of society out of the old tyranny of 
lord and slave : the triumphs which the masses 
are gaining over monopoly and central powers, 
and the influence which they are accumulating 
to command remuneration and respect for labor; 
the perfect freedom of mind from the chains 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS, 



143 



which have bound it in past times ; the great 
light which now beams in the domains of reli- 
gion, giving clear views of divine truth and of 
the nature and objects of punishment ; the preva- 
lence of those moral influences, which are grad- 
ually overcoming the causes of war and diffusing 
a more generous spirit among the nations of the 
earth ; the increase of the real comforts of life, 
not for the rich alone, but for the masses in gen- 
eral ; are the rich fruits of progress. These 
grand achievements ; achievements which are 
among the truest glories of the race ; came not 
from indolence ; not from inactivity of mind ; 
but from the highest forms of industry, They 
have been procured by the ceaseless exertions of 
moral and intellectual power ; by the careful 
treasuring up of past knowledge ; by constant 
lessons of experience ; and by earnestness in 
applying the principles of Divine Revelation to 
human wants and conduct. They were not won 
by opiumizing the soul with Turkish fatality, 
which sits still and suffers events to roll onward 
without any attempt to control them ; but by 
Christian energy, which bids the soul work its 
way to the highest forms of truth, virtue, and 
civilization, and to rejoicingly soar, like the 
eagle, into the highest atmosphere of intellectual, 
moral, and physical good. 

So true is this position, that even those discov^ 
eries which are generally supposed to be the re- 
sult of accident, are in fact fruits of vast toil. — - 
No discovery has ever come, alone and by it- 
self. There has been a previous preparation of 
society for it — a working up to it. And when 
the discovery has been made, great labor has 
been necessary for its application to actual prac- 
tice. It was an. accident, by which the principle 



150 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 



of the telescope was ascertained — but it required 
great study and labor to procure the necessary 
accompaniments to make that principle of any 
practical utility. The mere fall of an apple 
suggested to Newton the idea of gravitation, by 
which all things tend to common centres — a law 
which is universally diffused through the uni- 
verse, and alike grasps the atom and the might- 
iest cluster of worlds that dwells in space. Yet 
what labor it required to prepare his mind for 
seeing any connection between the fall of an ap- 
ple and a vast law of nature. He had, no doubt, 
often witnessed the same event, as had thousands 
of persons, without any importance being at- 
tached to it. And it awakened the right thought 
in his mind, only after the proper training had 
fitted him to seize the simple incident. And 
after he had seized it, it called all the energies 
of his intellect into play, to use it as a guide in- 
to a new development of Almighty Wisdom and 
Power. In this case, as well as in others, the 
remark of this illustrious man applies with 
great force, that " if he had done the world any 
services, it was due to nothing but industry and 
patient thought, and that he kept the subject un- 
der consideration constantly before him, and 
waited till the first dawning opened gradually, 
by little and little, into a full and clear light." 

It follows, then, that whatever of good man 
has attained by his own exertions, is the result 
of progress, and progress is the result of labor, of 
industry. The wonders of the intellectual 
world ; the perfecting of those blessings which 
God hath given us ; do not alone show that la- 
bor is required — we discover the same truth else- 
where displayed. If individuals expect to suc- 
ceed in business, they can not do so, save by 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 



151 



earnest attention to it. So true is this fact, that 
every one acknowledges this position, that a wise 
choice of means, with industry and economy, 
will command success, and that neglect and idle- 
ness will infallibly bring failure. The position 
has striking illustration of its truth, on every page 
of life's experience. 

Is the attainment of divine truth an exception 
to this law of labor and progress ? Is this truth, 
which embraces the mightiest themes mind can 
entertain ; which has the grandest relations with 
the manifestations of nature ; which speaks of 
man's ultimate destiny ; which gives the right 
energies to expand the moral and spiritual qual- 
ities of the soul ; which communes with the ev- 
erlasting Father and developes his character ; 
which deals with the noblest exhibitions of mor- 
al excellence, and has power to give sweetness 
to ill temper, peace to anger, virtue to vice, and 
joy to grief ; is this truth, unlike all other, to be 
had without effort and retained without culture ? 
Will it enter into the unprepared soul, like a sud- 
den flash of light, and of itself develope all its 
wondrous teachings, and remain there in all its 
brilliancy, without any effort on man's part to 
enlarge and feed its fire ? I know that many 
act, and seem to believe, that such is the case. — 
The individual who allows business to absorb 
his whole time — whose waking hours, and 
thoughts, and plans, aim to accumulate wealth 
— who makes money the supreme object of his 
affections ; the thing of intense desire ; the idol of 
his worship-who gives himself no time to gain an 
understanding faith, to increase in divine know- 
ledge, to expand his spiritual and moral nature 
— and yet who professes Christianity — virtually 
declares, that he may win and hold the fulness of 



152 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 



the Gospel, without any laboxjand progress on his 
part. Yet his soul's good could not have a great- 
er enemy, than this condition. It is a slothful- 
ness of mind, which, if persisted in, must eat 
out all spirituality, and weaken the knowledge 
of truth. It is not moral death which produces 
power, knowledge, and religious life in the soul. 
It is only by industry, activity, and watchful - 
ness, that one can advance in the understanding 
of Christianity and in the joyful emotions which 
the truth yields. God intended that it should be 
so — that men should labor for elevated stations 
in knowledge and holiness — because that labor 
both unfolds and expands the mind and causes 
man to appreciate the priceless value of divine 
revelation. That which is the result of labor, 
is more prized than that which comes without 
exertion. 

This thought is clearly evinced in the Scrip- 
tures. The command to " search the Scrip- 
tures to u prove all things to examine our- 
selves ; to " grow in grace and in the knowledge 
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ; ,s all show 
that men must give attention to heavenly things, 
if they would be wise in the sublime truths of 
Christianity. It is the thought upon which the 
text is founded, 8 8 increasing in the knowledge of 
God.*' What a broad field is here open for 
progress, for contemplation, for meditation, for 
enlarging the bounds of our view Into the works 
of God — how infinite ! how sublime ! To in- 
crease in the understanding of God's nature, of 
his government, of his laws, of his dealings 
with the children of men, and of his tender love 
manifested in the gracious mission of the Re- 
deemer—this is the measureless road of im- 
provement upon which man must travel, if he 



CHRISTIAN PROGES33, 



153 



wishes life to beam with genuine happiness and 
to procure the delight of real communion with 
the Father, of spiritual influences, and of the 
character and doctrine of Jesus, 

Yet the prospect thus opened to the mind, has 
the effect of producing discouragement in some> 
from its infinity, its overwhelming grandeur, 
and from man's absolute incapacity to grasp its 
fullness. It is not surprising that such is the 
ease, It must be confessed, that multitudes of 
the works of God are beyond our reach, as finite 
beings. The most penetrating thoughts of the 
soul become lost in the darkness which bounds 
the circle of human knowledge. They often 
prove powerless when attempting to unravel the 
mysteries which surround us at every step.— 
We know not the mode of producing a blade of 
grass, the flowers and fruits of the vegetable 
world. The questions, what is life ?— what is 
mind ? — how do mind and matter become con- 
nected ? — how is will impressed upon the mus- 
cles and sensation upon the brain ?— are ques- 
tions which man cannot unravel. Of electricity 
and magnetism, our knowledge is very limited. 
The whole interior of the earth, save a thin leaf 
of its immediate surface, is a sealed volume to 
us. The heavens are full of wondrous and 
sublime systems, governed by the law of God- 
but what we know of them, is little ; what we 
are ignorant of. is vast. We see one point in 
the universe only — beyond is a boundless ocean, 
from which no wave has sent its sound to our 
ears ; upon which no human eye has thrown 
even a passing glance. Of the primal origina- 
tion of things, we know nothing ; for we can- 
not see the modes b}' which the divine Power 
created the universe. Infinite space is a ques- 



154 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 



tion which no human mind can solve. We can 
form no idea of infinity. We can not under- 
stand how creation is without limits. And yet 
when we affix limits to it, the thought irresisti- 
bly comes up, that there is something beyond 
those limits, and something beyond these still, 
and so on, until the vastness of the theme over- 
whelms the mind. We believe that God is, and 
that He is the wise and benevolent Governor of 
all things — but the manner of his existence, an 
existence without beginning and without end ; 
the mode by which all events, past, present and 
future, are ever present with him ; and the pe- 
culiar nature of the powers which He will con- 
fer upon the soul amid the splendors of immor- 
tality ; these are hidden from us in impenetra- 
ble secrecy. In fact, the w r orld of knowledge 
which stretches away beyond the narrow field 
of our exploration, is awfully immense, and 
can never be reached by human power. 

But what then ? This fact should not dis- 
courage men. That finite mind cannot grasp 
infinity, is no reason for despondency. On the 
contrary, encouragement should be drawn from 
it. For while it is a deduction clearly flowing 
from Scripture positions and from the philoso- 
phy of mind, that ihe powers and capacities of 
the soul will be wonderfully enlarged in the fu- 
ture world, to advance and progress in know- 
ledge of those works of God which are now 
hidden from us, thereby removing regret at our 
present inability to understand them, yet we 
should be incited to increase in that knowledge 
of God which is within our reach,. from the very 
fact that there is room to increase, and to clarify 
our views of the Father with a better understand- 
ing of the glorious works upon which we can 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 



155 



look. It should be considered a precious privi- 
lege that we can advance, while every ray of 
light should be gathered up as a new source of 
happiness. 

We can " increase in the knowledge of God," 
by a keener look into the blessings which sur- 
round us, and which constantly minister to our 
enjoyment, and by striving to be acquainted with 
all that man has obtained in regard to them. — 
Mind and matter ; intellectual, moral, and so- 
cial powers ; the vegetable world ; the air ; 
water ; light ; heat and cold ; the seasons ; the 
glorious sun ; the glittering heavens ; all will y 
if we search, present us new facts and thoughts,, 
which will inspire us with nobler admira- 
tion of God's wisdom, power, and goodness — • 
Every new fact which we can gain from As- 
tronomy, Geology, Physiology, Chemistry, and 
other kindred branches of information — every 
new ray of light which we can obtain from the 
wonderful adaptation and harmonies displayed 
in nature — and every new page we can read of 
the workings of the grand benevolence which is 
every where exhibited, holding all creatures in 
the security of its love — will serve to warm our 
souls with increased devotion and reverence for 
that Being of whom it is said ; "before the 
mountains were brought forth, or ever thou 
hadst formed the earth and the world, even from 
everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 55 (Ps. 
90 : 2.) For while the legible language of di- 
vine Wisdom, Power, and Goodness, is written 
upon the heavens and the earth, there is nothing 
around us but has its voices to instruct us, 
from the mighty system of worlds to the sun and 
the humblest planet; from the earth to the atom ; 
from the vigorous oak, fresh and green after 



156 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 



having met the storms of centuries, to the modest 
lily ; from the lordly elephant to the minutest 
insect that lives and enjoys its brief hour of ex- 
istence in the beams of the setting sun ; from 
the mind of man, that marvellous instrument 
which has wrought out such wonders in the in- 
tellectual, moral, and physical worlds, to the 
faintest instinct which governs the lowest forms 
of animal life. Here we can steadily progress 
in that knowledge, which not only impresses 
the fact upon our souls, thai God IS, but that, in 
the midst of his awful grandeur and over= 
whelming sublimity, he ever holds his children 
in the uniting care and love of his benignant and 
benevolent Providence, and that, while all ma- 
terial forms are fading before time, and are be- 
ing crushed by change, He, mightier than all 
matter, living beyond all change, having neither 
beginning of days nor ending of years, will seal 
the soul with enduring existence. 

Yet notwithstanding all the opportunities for 
progress which are here furnished us, there is a 
higher field, where we can learn more of God 
as the Father, than in the natural world. It is 
the spiritual field opened up to us by Jesus, the 
great sun of righteousness which has filled the 
moral world with divine light. To this field, 
the apostle more particularly referred, when he 
spoke of " increasing in the knowledge of God." 
For in the context, he pointed out the redemption 
from sins, through the blood of the Savior, " who 
is the image of the invisible God;" "for it 
pleased the Father, that in him should all ful- 
ness dwell ; and, having made peace through 
the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all 
things unto himself; by him, I say, whether 
they be things in earth or things in heaven." — 



V 

CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 



Here is a noble exhibition of the Father in Je- 
sus as the instrument of the great plan of salva- 
tion, from which influences flow to give us in* 
creasing knowledge of spiritual things, and a 
constant advance in that moral holiness which 
is the chiefest excellence of the Christian char- 
acter. 

Look at Jesus. Study well his character. — 
For it glows with the light of God. It beams 
with the radiance of mercy without revenge ; 
of forbearance without weakness ; of trust with- 
out murmuring ; of resignation to the greatest 
evils without fear ; of virtue unmixed with sin ; 
of forgiveness of the bitterest foes without re- 
servation or thought of retaliation ; of devotion 
and love for men, which neither their sins nor 
the horrors of crucifixion could dim nor alter; 
and of a moral power which is able to melt the 
hardest heart and subdue the most stubborn 
soul. Who can exhaust this character, as a 
source of instruction ? Who can find no far- 
ther room for increasing knowledge, in . contem- 
plating Jesus as our moral Exemplar ; as the 
miraculous Son of God, himself endued with 
power to work miracles ; as the Opener of the 
long-sealed will of God in regard to man's ulti- 
mate destiny ; as the Conqueror of death and 
the grave; as the beloved Savior, so full of 
tenderness and compassion, commending the 
love of God to a lost and sinful world ? 

Then pass from this theme. Contemplate the 
glorious plan of the resurrection of the dead- 
its removal of all fear of death as an endless 
sleep which knows no waking — its power, in 
the hands of Jesus, of ushering all souls to an 
immortality which will give them an existence 
stretching far beyond the life of the sun ; an 



158 



CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 



existence which shall henceforth be endless, and 
endure with the life of God. Then look at the 
design of God in punishment ; its disciplinary 
character ; its power to subdue hardened rebels 
and bring them in submission to the cross of 
Christ ; and its instrumently as one of the great 
means of reconciling the world. Then look at 
the final result — the gathering together of all the 
members of Adam's race, as one family, ran- 
somed and redeemed ; to live in a joy with- 
out sorrow, a holiness without sin, a knowledge 
without error, an affection without bereavement, 
and a life without death. Then consider the re- 
ligion of Jesus ; its moral precepts ; its adap- 
tation to the entire framework of Society. And 
then reflect. Is there not here a field of con- 
stant improvement, in studying out the proofs 
and bearings of this grand plan of salvation ? — 
in developing its powers to prepare the soul for 
adversity and death ? — in applying its influ- 
ences to the human passions, the unfolding of 
the affections, and to our progress in every good 
word and work ? And in every new view of its 
truth, do we not increase in the knowledge of 
God ? In each step taken in the cultivation of 
our spiritual nature and in every advance made 
in moral holiness, do we not obtain that know- 
ledge of God, which enables us, with increas- 
ing devotion, to realize that we may ever pray, - 
"our Father who art in heaven V 9 Assuredly ! 
And it is only by this advance and progress of 
the soul in spiritual things, that we can sustain 
the Christian character, and go on our way re- 
joicing " with joy unspeakable and full ofglory." 



I 
I 

! 
I 



SERMON XIIL 

LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR. 

" Love worketh no ill to his neighbor ; therefore love is the 
fulfilling of the law." (Rom. 13 . 10.) 

The Christian must be a thinker ; for it is a 
commandment to " grow in grace and the know- 
ledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." It 
is only by the exercise of the intellectual and 
moral powers, in the vast fields of knowledge 
which God has opened in Revelation and nature, 
that man can advance in faith, in holier concep- 
tions of the divine Being, and into that sweetness 
of affection and purity of thought which give the 
recipient the joys of spiritual communion with 
the Savior and heavenly things. When an in- 
dividual stops in the career of improvement, he 
will grow cold in the cause of truth ; temptation 
will have a stronger grasp upon him, and will be 
more likely to drag him into wickedness. 

The Scriptures show that the Christian must 
be a thinker ; must exercise his mind. Not only 
do they make references to the outward world, 
which can not be understood without research, 
but they contain brief statements of doctrinal and 
moral truth, which combine the entire principles 
of faith and practice. But that combination can 
be seen and appreciated, only by exercise of the 



160 



LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR. 



lAind— by study, Without that study, the Scrip - 
turd reader will only see the plain thought ex= 
pressed on the surface of the language,and will fail 
to discover how the divine Mind has combined in 
single precepts, the whole spirit and teachings of 
the Gospel, in something of the same manner 
that a seed contains within itself the elements of 
the future plants with its leave s, flowers, and fruit. 
The existence of this fact gives strength to the 
idea, that one aim of Christianity is to make its 
followers love to think, and to expand their minds 
by a thorough knowledge of the glorious doctrine 
and admirable precepts of Jesus. Thus it strives 
to dispel ignorance, one of the great sources of 
superstition and vice ; and to cultivate and direct 
the mind in the way whereby man soars above his 
passions, and breathes that pure air which 
strengthens the soul with truth and holiness, and 
gives great joy in the blessing of spiritual com- 
munion with God. 

The text is one of these instances of thought-in- 
spiration and of combined truth, to which I have 
alluded. No one can examine it carefully, in all 
its bearings, without discovering that it developes 
the entire principles of Christian doctrine ; and, 
in its practice, leads to the observance of every 
Christian precept. It suggests far-reaching 
themes for the mind. It presents not only the 
simple fact, that il love worketh no ill to his neigh= 
bor," but it induces the questions ; What is the 
nature of love ? Is not God the source of all love ? 
If so, will his love work out evil as a final re= 
suit for any of his children ? Is not divine love, 
the supreme guide of power, wisdom, justice, 
mercy, and goodness, constantly engaged in 
sublime plans for the ultimate good of the race 1 
Who is our neighbor? Are those only our 



LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR* 



161 



neighbors who may belong to a particular sect, 
or does that word embrace all men in one uni- 
versal brotherhood ? What is it not to work evil 
for one's neighbor ? What is the law ? Is it not 
the embodiment of all morality ? And if so, can 
an individual be actuated by the love which is 
the fulfilling of that law, without discharging ev- 
ery Christian duty? These are great questions, 
And he who considers them prayerfully and ear- 
nestly, will not only experience renewed strength 
of mind, but will find himself led to an under- 
standing of Gospel truth and duty, and thus be- 
come a well-instructed disciple of Jesus. 

I have referred to these momentous questions, 
not because they can be followed and illustrated 
fully in a single discourse, but for the purpose 
of showing how the Scriptures, in isolated pas- 
sages even, afford nourishment to the thoughts, 
and stimulate the mind to activity and Christian 
culture. Let us observe this tendency of the 
Scriptures to make us think, while we give our 
attention to a few of the more prominent topics, 
which the text suggests. 

" Love worketh no ill to his neighbor." Love, 
as used by the apostle, signifies that benevolent 
principle in man, which, when developed by 
Christian culture, teaches one to carefully ab- 
stain from doing harm to any person, and to la- 
bor in the way which will not only increase in- 
dividual happiness, but will add to the comfort 
and enjoyment of others. This love is an ema- 
nation from the nature of the divine Being; for, 
says the apostle, " God is love." He is the in- 
finite Fountain of all benevolence. Every bril- 
liant ray of love which irradiates the mind, is a 
ray from the love of God — the central sun. And 
in proportion as divine love becomes shed abroad 
h 2 



162 



LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR. 



in the heart, through Jesus as its brightest exhi- 
bition on earth, so will man advance in benevo- 
lence, kindness, integrity, and good will. 

The precept, to do no ill to one's neighbor, is 
founded upon the operation of the love of God, 
as the true conduct which man should imitate. 
For love in God works no ill — no wrong — for his 
children. For " the Lord is good unto all, and 
his tender mercies are over all his works." He 
hates none. He has affection for all. The uni- 
verse is full of proofs of this fact. The whole 
Gospel scheme is but an expression of it. Jesus 
came to show it. All his labors were in obedi- 
ence to it. His death is a token of it. For M God 
commendeth his love toward us, in that while we 
were yet sinners, Christ died for us." The noble 
plan of redeeming all the race from the bondage 
of mortality and death, and of giving an exist- 
ence to the mind, more enduring than the stars, 
running henceforth parallel with the life of the 
divine Being ; the rejoicing scheme of making 
an end of sin and all evil, of reconciling the 
world to truth and righteousness through the 
beloved Redeemer, and of bringing the entire 
family of Adam together, to progress forever in 
the boundless knowledge of the universe, in in- 
tellectual and moral greatness ; these demonstrate 
that the love of God doeth no ill to his children, 
and prove that, with him, there is no other aim, 
than the grand and ultimate one of universal ho« 
liness and felicity. 

Will it be said, that God does ill to his chil- 
dren, when he punishes them for sin, and some- 
times in a terrible manner. The answer is a 
satisfactory one. If God inflicted pain as an 
end ; if there were no other object in view than 
to create misery ; then it would be evident, that 



LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR. 



163 



God is the author of an evil which the most 
powerful imagination must ever fail to describe. 
But the question has an entirely different aspect, 
when we discern the truth, that God inflicts pun- 
ishment only as a means to the good end of pen- 
itence, submission, and reconciliation. Was it 
wrong, that the brethren of Joseph suffered se- 
verely for their wickedness, when that suffering 
was followed by obedience to their brother 1 Was 
it wrong, that the wandering prodigal endured 
such distress in consequence of his sins, when it 
brought him to repentance, and he returned home 
a subdued and obedient son ? ' Surely not. The 
punishment, which God inflicts, looks to final ref- 
ormation, as well as to example and warning, 
and, therefore, is in perfect agreement with his 
love. And if all the punishments which are ad- 
ministered in civil and social life, were based 
upon the plan of discipline and reformation, they 
would then be in perfect conformity with the 
pure flame of love, which Christianity aims to 
kindle in the heart, that it may warm the soul 
with benevolence, justice, mercy, and virtue. 

In fact, in whatever direction we may extend 
our researches into fields which the human mind 
is capable of exploring, we shall discover that 
" God is love," and that he loves all his children 
with an affection from which no power can sep- 
arate them, and that this truth is manifested in 
the gracious plans he has instituted in Jesus for 
their restoration. Glorious indeed is the love of 
God. The wondrous universe unfolds it. The 
divine government glows with it. It manifests 
no anger — no revenge. But, in all its operations, 
it works good. It is upon the love of God, that 
the precept of the text is founded. It is like that 
which the Savior uttered in regard to treating 



164 



LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR. 



enemies with the justice, mercy, and forgiveness 
of love— a conduct which would make men like 
the Father, who causeth " his sun to rise on the 
evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the 
just and on the unjust." 

And when the love of God has been shed 
abroad in the heart; when it has enlighten- 
ed the mind with knowledge of duty, expanded 
the moral powers and affections, and subdued the 
passions ; then " love worketh no ill to his neigh- 
bor." It disposes man to avoid injuring others, 
and to diffuse the blessing's of benevolence and 
virtue by a humble walk with the Savior. 

At this stage of the subject, a grave question 
presents itself. Who are our neighbors ? This 
question will be differently answered, as the mind 
is contracted by narrow views of selfishness 
and bigotry, or as it is expanded by the spirit, 
which enabled the Savior to pour out his blood 
as a boundless sea of salvation for the race. — 
Passion excludes from neighborly regard, all 
whom it hates. Creeds embrace none as neigh- 
bors, but those w T ho receive their dogmas with 
kneeling faith. Fashion acknowledges none, 
save those who bow to its shrine of extravagance 
and folly. National enmity looks upon other 
people as foes, who should be met alone by the 
blows of military force. While he, whose soul 
has been frozen by ill-will and misanthropy, will 
look upon the world with sullen scorn, and 
in his bitterness, will scarcely regard any per- 
son as his neighbor. But neither passion, creeds, 
fashion, national enmity, nor misanthropy, are to 
answer the question. They are false authority. 
The spirit of Christianity is opposed to them all, 
and aims to emancipate mind from their sway. 
We must go to higher authority-r-to streams 



LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR. 



165 



which gush from the fountain of love. From 
them, instruction will come, which, soaring far 
above human passion and prejudice, sends out its 
rays of benevolence to the whole race, of every 
kindred, tongue, and clime. 

That human selfishness and narrow prejudices 
give no true answer to the question, Who is our 
neighbor? is evident from the significant fact, 
that, as the minds of men have become liberali- 
zed and expanded by the Christian spirit, they 
have constantly enlarged the bounds of neigh- 
borhood, and brought greater numbers within its 
fold. It is not long since, when sects had no ac- 
knowledged neighbors, either in time or eternity, 
save those within their communion. They now 
see, in all sects, those with whom they can be so- 
cial and kind, and who can be admitted within 
reach of the saving arms of mercy. And, as 
higher and holier feelings have gained power, 
so men are beginning to see, that the crushed 
and oppressed, the intemperate and criminal, are 
neighbors for whom Christians should labor. — 
And men have even entertained the notion, and 
boldly uttered it, that slaves are neighbors of a 
common humanity, and should be emancipated 
from bondage. In these glorious facts, we per- 
ceive that the world is approaching a truer an- 
swer to the question, Who is our neighbor ? 

Let us, however, look for more definite author- 
ity, which will give us an explicit answer. On 
a certain occasion, a Jewish teacher, to whom 
Jesus had spoken the precept, " Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor as thyself," proposed to him the 
question, " Who is my neighbor ? " Jesus met 
that question, in a convincing manner, by present- 
ing a case. An individual, while on his way 
from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among thieves,- 



166 



LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR. 



who robbed him and left him half dead. A priest 
and a Levite came, in succession, to the place, 
where the wounded man lay in his agony ; and, 
though he was a Jew and a member of their reli- 
gion and nation, yet they passed on their way 
without rendering him assistance. But a Sama- 
ritan, between whose people and the Jews a bit- 
ter, national animosity existed, came to the place. 
He asked not his creed or his nation. A suf- 
fering man was before him. It was enough. — 
He bound up his wounds. He carried him to a 
place of safety. He left money for his support 
during recovery, and gave his word to pay what- 
ever more might be required. In view of so 
plain a case, our Savior put the question to the 
teacher, " Which of these three, thinkest thou, 
was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves ?" 
Pressed by the force of truth, the teacher an- 
swered, " He that shewed mercy on him." Then 
came the simple and earnest command, " Go, and 
do thou likewise." What great truth did our 
Savior sanction by this instruction ? Did he not 
mean to tell him, that whenever he found a man, 
no matter what his name, creed, or nation might 
be, to whom he could do good, that man he .should 
assist, for he was his neighbor ? , This, it seems 
to me, is what Jesus taught. And this is but 
saying, that all men are of one common family 
— that if they have the divine spirit, they will 
all be neighbors to each other ; and that, while 
all are the children of God, the genius of uni- 
versal brotherhood should animate each soul. — 
It is a sublime truth — one almost too vast and 
expansive for poor human nature, struggling with 
passions and temptations. 

The true idea of the text, then, is, that love 
worketh no ill to any person. On the contrary, 



LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR. 



167 



it labors for good ; to cause its possessor to be 
good, and to do good to others, and cultivate that 
spirit which thrills the soul with earnest and 
heart-felt prayer to the throne of divine grace, 
for all mankind. 

Such is the power of love and kindness, which 
the world is so slow to learn, and to appreciate, 
and to adopt into its faith, and to carry out in its 
practice. Brute force is the power which has 
prevailed among the nations. Tyranny, oppres- 
sion, revenge, have been the weapons of past 
ages, and are too much so of the present age. 
In the government of nations ; in the modes of 
meeting enemies : in the management of schools 
and families ; in the treatment of the insane and 
the criminal ; severity and oppression have been 
the means of compelling submission. Oh, how 
much cruelty, slaughter, and misery, this world 
has seen, from the reign of revenge and ill-feel- 
ing. What horrible scenes of warfare between 
nations — what unhallowed deeds between man 
and man — what awful wickedness in society — 
have resulted from the prevalence of retaliation. 
And yet, retaliation and wrong have never won 
the heart ; never stilled it into gentleness ; never 
drawn out its affections. On the contrary, as 
like produces like, so blood and retaliation have 
produced fearful harvests of revenge and agony. 
Not only have they inflicted the direst woes up- 
on the human race, but they are totally opposed 
to the spirit of Jesus, of Christianity, and of the 
great truth, that " Love worketh no ill to his 
neighbor." How much the world would be found 
wanting, if tried by this rule. The men of past 
times, who, having power, exerted it to chain the 
mind in ignorance ; to cruelly oppress masses of 
people ; to persecute men to death for difference 



168 LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR. 

of opinion- — the men whose action has been blow 
for blow, and anger for anger — have all wanted 
the spirit of Christianity, and its greatest grace, 
impartial love. 

But thanks be unto Him whose nature is love, 
the genius of Christianity is developing itself 
among men, and they are beginning to see its 
glory and feel its power. In its struggles with 
the passions of the world, it has already obtained 
mighty victories. It is weakening the power of 
violence and retaliation. It has spread wider 
sympathies and a nobler kindness for the unfor- 
tunate and sinful, and has given a growing pro- 
gress to the heavenly truth, that every act, whe- 
ther performed by nations or individuals, should 
proceed from intentions of doing good. And 
while we see that the spirit and power of revenge 
and of brute force, are gradually yielding to the 
growing tendencies of Christianity, it is evident 
that it will continue in its conquering course, un- 
til nations and individuals shall regulate their in- 
tercourse with each other, according to the per- 
fect rule, " Love worketh no ill to his neighbor," 
without regard to name or condition. 

Love, the unfolding of the affections, the ex- 
pansion of the moral sentiments, and a greater 
reverence for humanity, will alone work out this 
result ; for it is " Love which worketh no ill to 
his neighbor." Force, terror, terrific appeals, 
can not develope this state of things in the soul. 
Man must be subdued by the love of God ; by 
the devotion and blood of the Savior ; by the 
grace displayed in the scheme of salvation ; and 
by the dignity and joys of virtue ; that, in the 
communion of these great themes, there may be 
a fire kindled within him, that shall burn up 
wicked desires, and illuminate his mind and ac- 



LOVE AND ITS NEiGHBOR, 



169) 



tions with that obedience which springs from 
gratitude and from an earnest sense of the value 
and blessings of virtue. Then, to him the pre- 
cept is precious ; for his love will work no ill to 
his neighbor. 

"No ill," It is a great field; for these two 
words are very comprehensive, and include all 
wrong as well as all good. He who commits 
any evil act, whether against others or against 
himself, does ill to his neighbors. For no per- 
son can be a member of social life, without hav- 
ing more or less influence in it. And he who 
indulges in sinful thoughts, or in any acts which 
lessen his personal virtue, does ill to his neigh= 
bors ; for he so far lessens his power to advance 
their welfare in a strong and earnest labor in the 
cause of righteousness. 

The text, then, condemns all evil ; intemper- 
ance, licentiousness, dishonesty, slander, re= 
venge, hatred, bigotry; yea, the whole train of 
sins. They are evils, and produce other evils, 
and fill society with gloom and suffering. And 
while it condemns all sin, it embraces ail right- 
eousness ; for it is the righteous soul alone, who 
can be actuated by the divine love which- does 
no wrong to men. It, therefore, embraces every 
Christian grace ; every virtuous act ; every 
known duty. For in these is the existence of 
Christian love within, manifested to the world 
in holiness of example and in the blessings of a 
virtuous life. 

And when individuals have been influenced 
and led by the " Love which worketh no ill to 
his neighbor," how admirable their lives have 
been, and what heavenly deeds they have mani- 
fested for their fellow men. Howard among 
criminals— Perm among savage Indians— Reese 



170 



LOVE AND ITS NEIGHBOR* 



and others among those sick of cholera — the 
apostles among persecutors— Jesus dying on the 
cross — Oh, how they have shown the glory of 
the great law of love, which labors for the good 
of man ! How their example makes the pulse of 
healthful desire beat for holiness and usefulness. 
How their conduct wins the vicious, stimulates 
the morally weak, and strengthens the followers 
of the Savior. Very true is it, that what 
this world needs, to turn it into a heaven below, 
is that men should live, in regard to each other, 
according to the precept, " Love worketh no ill 
to his neighbor." 

This love is the fulfilling of the law of right- 
eousness. When a Jew inquired of the Savior, 
Which is the great commandment of the Mosaic 
law 1 Jesus answered, " Thou shalt love the Lord 
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, 
and with all thy mind. This is the first and 
great commandment. The second is like unto 
it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On 
these two commandments hang all the law and 
the prophets." (Matt. 22 : 37—40.) Thus he 
made love to God and man the spirit of the whole 
Mosaic and prophetical teachings. So the love 
which works no ill, is the concentration of the 
entire Christian law of holiness. And he who 
obeys its tendencies, will strive to perform every 
duty, and will richly deserve the name of Chris- 
tian, 



SERMON XIV. 



THE TEST OF LO VE . 



" He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it 
is that loveth me ; and he that loveth me shall be loved of 
my Father ; and I will love him, and will manifest myself 
to him." (John 14: 21.) 

An important lesson is here presented for 
study. Its instruction is clear ; its facts are 
evident ; its conclusions unavoidable. It makes 
action, earnest and vigorous action, the test of 
genuine love to the Savior. He, who has the 
commandments of Jesus, who keeps or observes 
them, who adopts them as the actual rule of his 
conduct, and strives to live up to their divine 
holiness, has true love for the Savior. His obe- 
dience to Christ, is the evidence of his sinceri- 
ty, and of the fact that his soul glows with af- 
fection for Jesus as the Son of God, the appointed 
One to proclaim the grandest forms of spiritual 
truth to the world. Hence his virtue becomes 
the outward language of his inward love — the 
seal of the soundness of his Christian character. 

What a searching truth is this. How it cuts 
off all unjust claims to Christian profession, and 
repudiates that hollow-hearted love which deals 



172 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 



with words but not with deeds, and has neither 
sincerity, purity, nor virtue. It has no com- 
promises, no contingencies. It is direct and 
simple. It has one great, leading principle, and 
tliat\t applies to all lives, all pretensions, all con- 
duct. And whenever it finds wickedness in the 
professed follower of Christ, it exposes his cor- 
ruption. But whenever it finds holiness, it 
makes that holiness glow with the divine light of 
genuine, Christian love. 

In the directness of this fact, there is no eva = 
sion. It admits of none. An individual may 
claim to have love for Jesus — but his claim 
amounts to nothing, if it be not founded upon 
Christian action. For if he be governed by a 
selfish spirit — if ' he have no sympathy for hu- 
manity — if he be bigoted and censorious — if he 
depart from the precepts of Christianity, and in 
the business of life, adopt the corrupt princi- 
ples of grasping, overreaching desire for riches 
— if his hand be not open for benevolence, his 
heart beat not with sympathy for the suffering 
man, and his tongue have no words for freedom 
of thought and an earnest search after truth — At 
matters not with what eloquent prayers, what 
precision of ceremonies, what fervent attention 
to the external forms of religious \vorship, he 
may claim to love the Redeemer ; for with all 
these, he lacks sincerity of profession, and is 
wanting in the real jewels of the Christian life, 
when tried by the searching words of Jesus— 
44 he thai hath my commandments and keepeth 
them, he it is that loveih me." As in this in- 
stance, so is it in all others. Wherever action, 
earnest, vigorous action in the discharge of duty 
is wanting, no true love for the Savior can exist, 
because his commandments are not obeyed, — ■ 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 



173 



Nor can there be any manifestation of Jesus in 
the soul, because that soul is not quickened into 
the spiritual life of truth by the elevating in- 
fluences of holiness, and of the application of re- 
ligion to its moral wants. 

With these plain landmarks to guide us aright, 
we may well and truly say, that the professedly 
Christian ivorld is sadly lacking in love of the 
Savior. There is great tcant of that affection, 
which the text unfolds as being the real health 
of spiritual life. This conclusion is sustained 
by the test which Jesus has himself given. — 
This test is a trying, a searching one. It pene- 
trates the soul, and drives men to a severe self- 
examination. It takes a powerful grasp upon 
man's consciousness, and compels him to com- 
pare his religious spirit and conduct with the 
rule which the Master has given. Such a pro- 
cess shows that society and individuals are great- 
ly deficient in the love which manifests itself in 
an earnest devotion to those great principles of 
moral action which Christianity presents, and 
without which there can be no heart- binding 
fellowship with that life of Jesus which glows 
with unspotted virtue and incorruptible integrity. 

Let not the position here taken, be misunder- 
stood. By affirming that there is a great lack, 
in the world, of that perfection of love which 
embodies moral devotion to the Savior, we do not 
mean that Christianity is a lifeless system ; that 
it has no direct and powerful efficiency in the 
souls of men ; that, like a desert parched by 
drought and intense heat, it has been and still is 
barren of results ; that it is like a splendid 
statue, of perfect form and symmetry, yet with- 
out breathing, acting, and animating existence ; 
that it has dwelt among ignorant people without 



174 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 



enlightening them, and among sinful men with- 
out reforming them in a great degree. Nothing 
of this kind is intended. On the contrary, Jesus 
is loved and practiced to a vast extent. It may 
be, and undoubtedly is so, that in general, he is 
unconsciously loved and practiced ; that men, 
while dwelling amid the glorious results of his 
reign, do not see them radiating from the cross 
as their real source. Nevertheless the Son of 
God has made the civilized world what it is. — 
The adoption of his truth, has overturned the 
heathen altar, quenched the funeral pile that 
would consume the widow, and saved infants 
from cruel sacrifice. All that is better in our 
legislation, than that which belonged to barba- 
rian nations — the generous principles which have 
secured more kindly treatment of the insane, 
the criminal, and the intemperate — have flowed 
from the diffusion of the divine religion of Jesus, 
The elevation of women to their true station, 
and the power which is gradually gaining for 
them their rights — the increase of affection and 
knowledge in the home-circle, cheering families 
with rays of happiness from heaven itself, and 
rendering them blessed schools for preparing 
children for the duties and cares of mature 
years — are among the cheering consequences of 
the Christian system. The extension of the 
spirit of benevolence and human brotherhood 
from mass to mass of people and to nations, until, 
like the free air, they are becoming world-wide 
— the advance of those noble truths which are 
developing the moral and spiritual nature of 
man — find their power and vigor in Christianity. 
It is the soul of civilization. It is the pure foun- 
tain from whence the waters of reform flow. — 
And when we consider the vast contrast between 



THE TEST OF LOVE, 



175 



Christian and heathen people — the great advance 
of our condition over theirs — the superior gran- 
deur of our faith, as a developer of the powers 
of the soul, as the influence to subdue sinners, 
and the heavenly medicine which heals the se- 
verest wounds of grief — we cannot avoid the 
fact, that these are the results of believing and 
practicing Christ, however imperfect that prac- 
tice and belief may be. Indeed, could Jesus and 
his truth be stricken from existence, and obliter- 
ated from the soul ; could the consequences of 
the practical love which has glowed in the minds 
and actions of men for the Son of God, be anni- 
hilated ; it would be but driving the race back 
eighteen centuries, into that superstition and 
barbarism which existed previous to the period 
when improvement commenced at the cross, to 
advance with its irresistible, moral forces, until 
the world shall be filled with its divine glory. 

But notwithstanding these evident facts, yet, 
in many respects, there is every where a sad 
want of practical love for the Savior. Both na- 
tional powers and individuals are guilty of those 
acts, which, if tried by this rule — " he that hath 
my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that 
loveth me" — would show them to be far removed 
from the genuine spirit of the Master. Lament 
it as we may, still it is not the less true. Let us 
cast a passing glance at some of the stern reali- 
ties of life, and then mark the conclusion which 
grows out of them. 

Observe two collections of men, extending^ 
their compact and regular lines as far as the eye 
can reach. They glitter in scarlet and gold. — 
The wind gives beauty to their nodding plumes. 
Banners are unfolded to the breeze* Each foot- 
man grasps the deadly musket, Each cannon- 



176 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 



ier stands by the side of his brazen-throated in- 
strument of death. Each horseman holds his 
sharp sword, as he reins in his pawing steed. It 
is a glorious sight. It stirs one's blood, as the 
beat of the warlike drum, the clang of the mar= 
tial trumpet, and the delicious music of brass 
bands, fall upon the ear in swelling strains. — 
Why all these men there 1 What deep motive 
has brought them together from far-distant lands '? 
Is it for purposes of peace ? Let us see. They 
draw near to each other. One voice speaks in 
tones of command. The crash of musketry is 
heard. The artillery roars with deep notes amid 
the storm. Cavalry are violently precipitated 
against each other. The ground becomes wet ; 
not with falling rain and gentle dew ; but with 
human blood* Brother rights with brother.— 
Thousands, amid the horrible din and sufFoca= 
ting smoke, shriek with the agony of ghastly 
w r ounds. Their shrieks are mingled with the 
plaintive moans of widows and orphans in far- 
distant homes. It is a terrible scene. 

But in the midst of these armed throngs bent 
on destruction and death — in the midst of the 
crush, and smoke, and blood, there appears a 
gentle form of winning look and holy counte- 
nance. It is Jesus of Nazareth. Not with dire 
revenge in his soul ; not with the thirst of kill- 
ing ; is he there. He speaks. He says to 
these men, as well as to those who sent them 
there: — "Resist not evil:" — "Love your ene- 
mies ; bless them that curse you ; do good to them 
that hate you ; and pray for them that despiteful- 
ly use you and persecute you" Think you that 
in such a scene of blood and death, he finds 
aught of obedience to his commandments? — 
Think you that his love is there ? Think you 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 



177 



that his love can be perfect in nations which 
spend life and treasure in wars ? Jesus will 
answer : — u He that hath my commandments and 
keepeth them : he it is that Joveth me" 

It is not alone here, however, that the lack of 
practical love for Christ is discoverable. In 
great nations, with professedly Christian institu- 
tions, ministers, and laws, there are millions of 
people who groan in hopeless toil, are kept in 
thorough ignorance, and are prevented from ri- 
sing into mental elevation and physical comfort, 
by powerful and bitter oppression. Wretched, 
and without hope of alleviation, they live amid 
suffering, want, and disease, and die unheeded, 
like the beasts of the forest. There is no reason 
why this should be so. It is, in a great measure, 
the result of social arrangements which serve to 
aggrandize a privileged few, to heap up their 
enormous wealth, to enable them to live in lux- 
ury and idleness, and to keep power in their 
hands, to be used, not for the wretched and de- 
graded toilers, but for themselves. If Jesus 
should appear to all such men, and in the thrill- 
ing tone of his moral holiness, should ask the 
searching question, " Lovest thou me ?" and, 
pointing to the vast mass of squalid poverty ex- 
isting in the very shadow of their splendid pal- 
aces, should say, " Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself," would he find in them that love for 
him which cometh alone from keeping his com- 
mandments 1 Professedly Christian as they are, 
they would blush with shame. 
/ Go into the great cities of Christian lands. In 
them, perhaps in the very heart of them, there 
will be found whole neighborhoods which are 
sink-holds of filthy vice — poisoned swamps of 
crimes, where wild beasts dwell, and every nama- 



178 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 



able wickedness is perpetrated — where children 
are born in sin, and grow up amid vicious asso- 
ciations, which corrupt them in every thought 
and feeling — where licentiousness, theft, profan- 
ity, and shameless indecencies, are general oc- 
currences, and the practice of any virtues, rare 
exceptions. Yet these things exist in the sight 
of splendid churches ; within the sound of Sab- 
bath-bells and preaching ; in' the eyes of vast 
wealth, and of the professed followers of the Son 
of God. And they exist, too, without society 
doing aught to remove such terrible scenes and 
rescue the miserable victims of vice. If 
Jesus should stand in the midst of such society, 
and ask, as he pointed to these scenes of inde- 
scribable misery, where is that love of him, 
which ought to labor for the annihilation of such 
vile places, by the diffusion of education, by the 
encouragement of labor and virtue, by spiritual 
and moral culture, could that society stand free 
from sin, when tried by the test which the text 
furnishes ? 

Look at another case. Two men face each 
ether. They are angry. They have been pro- 
voked by some trivial thing ; by a harsh word, 
or by a blow, likely as not, given in some place of 
sin. They are about to vindicate what they call 
honor, by shooting at each other, and by striving 
to commit an act which deserves no other name 
than that of murder. If Jesus should appear 
there, and in the earnestness of his truth should 
say, "Thou shalt not kill," would they be found 
in the possession of that love which comes from 
an obedience to his commandments ? 

Or take the man who stands in society, where 
he can exert a healthy moral influence, but 
which he does not exert. He is a church-attend- 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 



179 



ant. He is strict in the outward ceremonies of 
religion. He appears well, especially on the 
Sabbath. Yet this very individual may be a 
very wicked man. Midnight may see him at 
gambling houses, or in dens of licentiousness, 
consorting with the vilest wretches of society, 
and joining in wickedness which dares not show 
itself in open daylight. What commandment 
has the Savior ever uttered, which would not 
prove such a man entirely wanting in love for 
the Savior? What could he say, if he should 
hear the hallowed lips of Jesus utter the search- 
ing words, " He that hath my commandments 
and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me " ? 

Vary the illustration once more. There are 
persons who are firmly convinced of the reality 
of Christian truth. They have no doubts of the 
testimonies which sustain it, derived from prom- 
ise, from prophecy, from the mission of the Re- 
deemer, and from apostolic preaching. They 
look at the sublime and cheering propositi, 
that the government of God, as developed 
through the Savior, will result in the ulti- 
mate good of all the race, and they say in their 
souls, " this is truth ; it is the truth of God ; the 
truth of divine Revelation" Yet these men, in 
seeking after popular notice, to gain some favor- 
ite object, will sacrifice all Christian consisten- 
cy, all manly independence, and, hiding their 
convictions in their souls, will appear to believe 
and will give support to that which they conceive 
to be error. They will never recognize or 
countenance those who are striving. to proclaim 
the truth which they cherish and will not avow. 
If such men could stand in the presence of the 
Savior — if they could see him meekly enduring 
all manner of indignity and suffering, while ut- 



190 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 



tering the clear convictions of divine inspiration 
— if they could look upon him, as he hung upon 
the cross, pouring out his blood, in the midst of 
infuriated foes, that he might bear witness to the 
truth and commend it to the world as one of the 
brightest smiles of the love of God to man — if 
they could stand in the presence of his servants, 
while suffering persecution and death, in their 
efforts to proclaim the Gospel — and if, while 
viewing these things, the question were urged 
home upon their souls, whether they had any 
practical love for Jesus and his truth, would 
they not be obliged to answer in the negative, 
and to hide themselves in shame ? 

From these considerations, we see that there is 
in the world a great want of the earnest love which 
the text developes. And perhaps, the applica- 
tion of this text, would find all more or less 
wanting in perfection of Christian love. For just 
so far as we cherish evil thoughts and conduct, 
so far we fall short of genuine affection for him 
who bled and died for us on the cross. 

Hence, in the attainment of genuine devotion 
to the Redeemer, there must be action, earnest 
and vigorous action. Profession must not con- 
sist of mere words. Its life must not be made up of 
outward ceremonies alone. It must not be satis- 
fied with ardent expressions of attachment, as 
evidences of sincerity and honesty. It must 
have action in the practice of moral principle. — 
It must guard the passions and control them. It 
must watch and pray, and- strive for moral 
strength, until virtue shall be a habit and obe- 
dience a common joy. Then the test becomes 
fulfilled : — " He that hath my commandments and 
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." The be- 
liever brings forth good fruit ; and the fruit 



THE TEST OF LOVE* 



181 



judges him, He lives and acts for man. He 
does what he can, to assist the unfortunate, to re- 
move the evils of society, and to make holiness 
lovely by the excellence of his example and the 
earnestness of his piety. 

Those who thus love Jesus, he says " shall be 
loved of my Father ; and I will love him, and 
manifest myself unto him." He does not mean, 
that God has no love for sinners. God loves all 
his children. By the wonders of his Providence ; 
especially by the blood of Jesus ; has the fact 
been proved. In a passage which excites the 
soul with great thoughts, and opens to view the 
wondrous scheme of grace and salvation, the 
apostle said : — "But God commendeth his love 
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, 
Christ died for us." But yet, to those who are 
obedient to the heavenly words of the divine 
Master, there is a peculiar manifestation of his 
love, viz., a glorious sense of the approbation of 
God, giving praise and encouragement for every 
good act performed. Gentle voices seem to come 
from the Father and enter the soul, whispering 
peace and enjoyment there, such as the world 
can not give and can not take away. 

Besides, Jesus will manifest himself to the 
obedient believer. His truth, his precepts, his 
loving spirit, will develope fortitude, kindness, 
affection, purity, and peace, in the soul of his de- 
voted follower. All the features of the moral 
excellence which render the Son of God so at- 
tracting, will be reflected in his life and conduct. 
In trial, in sorrow, in death, he will feel that Je- 
sus is near, to comfort and sustain him. Who 
will not pray, " even so, come, Lord Jesus ?" 



SERMON XV. 



THE TRUE RULE OF ACTION. 

" Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we 
ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5 : 29.) 

In obedience to the commission which they had 
received from their risen Lord, the apostles bold- 
ly proclaimed the glad tidings of the Gospel in 
Jerusalem, as the first field of their eventful min- 
istry. So great was the success which followed 
their preaching, accompanied, as it was, by won- 
derful miracles, that multitudes of believers were 
added to the cause of the crucified Savior. This 
rapid spread of Christianity gave great offense 
to the high priest and those who were with him 
in hatred against the name of Jesus. On one 
occasion, in the fulness of their indignation, they 
put the apostles in prison. But the prison could 
not confine them. " The angel of the Lord by 
night opened the prison-doors, and brought them 
forth." With bold fidelity, they went into the 
temple and fearlessly proclaimed the message of 
divine truth. Here they were found by the offi- 
cers who had been sent to bring them before the 
council. On being brought before the council, 
the high priest said to them, " Did not we straitly 
command you, that ye should not teach in this 
name? And, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION, 



183 



your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's 
blood upon us." The apostles answered, " We 
ought to obey God rather than men." And add- 
ed, in forcible language, the fact, that Jesus, 
whom the Jews had slain, had been exalted as a 
Prince and Savior, by the will and power of God. 
This utterance of truth in their very presence, 
enraged the opposers of the Savior, and they 
proceeded to devise a plan for the destruction of 
the apostles. But on their fears being aroused by 
the prudent statements of one of their number, 
they refrained from this violent step, and, having 
beaten the apostles, they sent them away with 
the command to speak no more in the name of 
Jesus. But they, faithful in their determination 
to obey God rather than men, "ceased not to 
teach and preach Jesus Christ," while they re- 
joiced " that they were counted worthy to suffer 
in his name." 

These circumstances, briefly as they have been 
related, afford an excellent theme for instruction. 
They present the soul-stirring scene of men, who 
were entirely devoted to truth, and who, brave 
men in the Lord as they were, determinately 
struggled against the most virulent opposition to 
that truth, with glorious success, satisfied to use 
no other weapon than the mightiness of truth it- 
self. And out of this scene of grandeur, strong 
voices speak, declaring the duty of earnest love 
for truth, of warming the soul with its spirit, of 
entire devotion to its interests, and of Christian 
independence in adhering to it, without being 
swerved from the path of right by any worldly 
considerations whatever. 

But back of these voices, there is a fact greater 
than they, without the existence of which, they 
would be devoid of strength. It is the fact, that 



184 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION. 



the apostles were governed by a high rule of ac- 
tion^ and not by mercenary motives. Their souls 
were strong with the thought that they should 
obey God, and not men. It was this great prin- 
ciple, holding possession of their whole minds, 
that made them cling to the cause of Christianity 
with such undeviating fidelity. Their conduct 
was regulated by it. Their lives were conformed 
to its requirements. The popular opinion of 
their times had no effect upon them. The vin- 
dictive threats of men in place and power ; im- 
prisonments ; stripes ; the scofnngs of Jew and 
Gentile ; the prospect of ending their ministry 
in blood; had no influence upon their course of 
action. Their souls were strong with the most 
elevated order of moral principle. The question 
with them was, what is right in the sight of God, 
and not what is right in the estimation of men. 
This was the fountain whence they were refresh- 
ed with fortitude, faithfulness, and vigor, to go 
straight forward in the glorious work of proclaim- 
ing the Gospel as a system which would regen- 
erate the world, and overcome its evils by the 
wonderful influences of divine truth — a system, 
which would fill darkened souls with the light of 
truth, give comfort to the mourner, virtue to the 
sinner, and divine strength to the dying. 

It is of this lest of all principles of action, which 
preserved the apostles from failing in duty, and 
gave them strength to endure patiently every ob- 
stacle in the way of that duty, that I intend now 
to notice. It forms a very important subject.— 
It is indispensable in the attainment of incorrup- 
tible integrity — of that moral firmness and puri- 
ty which know no compromises of conscience 
and obey nothing but right. 

And yet 3 among all the bright stars of moral 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION, 



185 



action which are calculated to lead one to an 
obedience that is founded upon an enlightened 
sense of duty, no one is more neglected than this, 
nor more frequently lost sight of. Perhaps there 
are but few persons, comparatively, whose con- 
duct is electrified for good by an immediate sense 
of God's requirements, and who imperatively 
feel that they should obey God, regardless of the 
worldly influences which may press upon them. 
Thousands follow other rules of action, which, 
to say the least, can not produce that unwaver- 
ing, energetic moral life, which enabled the apos- 
tles to meet persecutions without faltering, and 
to say, " we ought to obey God rather than men." 

Among the most uncertain of these rules of 
action, are those prescribed by 'popular opinion. 
No guide can be more unsafe in the way of per- 
fect duty ; for popular opinion is as liable to be 
wrong as right. If those who make that popular 
opinion, are ignorant or vicious, that opinion must 
be evil. In those instances, in which the voices 
of the majority have demanded the bitter perse- 
cution of such as differed from them in faith — 
in those, where the public mind has violently 
opposed new truths or great reforms — in that in- 
stance, where the multitude in France gained 
the ascendancy, and deluged their land with 
blood, and bound it with chains of despotic anar- 
chy — we discover that popular influences were 
evil, and whoever followed them, could not but 
be in the wrong. Indeed popular opinion can not 
be right, except it be governed by educated in- 
tellect and an enlightened moral sentiment ex- 
actly conformed to the will of God. When peo- 
ple, thus governed, predominate in a community, 
they give a healthy tone to public opinion. 
And the approbation of such a community is aL 
i 2 



186 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION. 



ways to be desired; though the surest way of 
gaining it, is to faithfully obey the commandments 
of God 9 without any anxiety to win the applause 
of men, and to cling to right, as the truest and 
noblest aim and object of moral beings. 

But, unfortunately, popular sentiment, espe- 
cially in particular localities, has not this pure 
and elevated character. Other influences serve 
to nullify the morality of Jesus. Love of show 
and the glare of adornment — a raging thirst for 
money, in order to stand foremost in society and 
to attract the notice of the fashionable — strong 
leanings toward sin, among those who exercise 
great power of example, and yet whose example 
is that which grows out of the indulgence of an- 
imal pleasure and the desire to follow the worldly 
influences which surround them — these, and 
many other sources of moral weakness, serve to 
create circles of popular sentiment, which deaden 
the obligation to obey God, and, in thousands of 
instances, turn religious profession into a soulless 
thing — a mere outside glitter. 

How many there are, whose conduct is gov- 
erned by these influences. This fact is striking- 
ly evinced by the manner many act in regard to 
their settled convictions of divine truth. There 
are those who firmly believe in the unity of God, 
and who are satisfied, that the doctrine of the 
Trinity, with its kindred principles, is an error of 
the greatest magnitude. Yet these same men 
forsake those who are toiling to establish the di- 
vine Unity as one of the essentials of Christian 
faith. They give all their influence, countenance, 
support, and social strength, to that which they 
believe to be wrong, and discountenance that 
which they believe to be right. There are those 
too, who, in addition to faith in the unity of God 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION. 



187 



and the conclusions flowing from it, give an un- 
reserved, mental assent to the important position, 
that punishment is one of the gracious means 
used by divine Providence for the ultimate de- 
struction of moral evil and the deliverance of the 
race from its bondage. Yet these individuals 
never act for the advancement of their views of 
truth. Their exertions are all given for error. 
They worship at altars whose creeds they deny. 
Mentally, they believe one thing — outwardly they 
believe and acknowledge another. Such men 
repudiate the fact, that God should be obeyed 
rather than men. Their morality is wholly in- 
volved in what they esteem to be the popular 
voice around them. They are faithful to its 
voice. But the believer in the Trinity, while 
holding that faith, is never known to give his 
countenance and support to the advancement of 
the divine Unity ; nor does the believer in end- 
less suffering work for the progress of remedial 
and limited punishment. The fact is otherwise. 
In all the more popular sects of the day, believ- 
ers in the Unity of God, support the Trinity, and 
believers in the Restitution support Partialism. 
This is the invariable rule. And the principle 
of action is, to obey the popular sentiment of cer- 
tain classes, regardless of the morality of such 
obedience. These individuals do not yield to the 
fallacy, that numbers determine what is truth. 
For while, at one time, popular voices have sus- 
tained Paganism, and then Catholicism ; while, 
in certain localities, number^fhave sustained one 
creed and in others have sustained a different 
creed ; these individuals have decided this ques- 
tion in their own minds ; by believing that the 
more popular views are untrue, and the less pop- 
ular are really of Christian origin. 



188 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION. 



Thus the command of God, embracing duty 
to truth, is thrown aside for the commands of 
men. And yet, it would seem, that if men are 
bound to obey God in any thing, they are bound 
to be faithful to truth. For Christian truth is 
precious above all things else. Though mingled 
with many errors, which have partially obscured 
its glory — though ignorant or vicious professors 
have performed terrible acts in its name — yet it 
is the power which has created the civilization 
we enjoy ; the advanced affection of social life 
we possess ; the soothing consolation in the night 
of anguish, which ever extends its cheering hand 
to the grief-smitten. Its absence would be to 
the moral and intellectual world, what sweeping 
the sun from the heavens would be to physical 
creation. And yet men, when under such vast 
obligations to Christian truth, will lend their 
strength and influence to perpetuate the errors 
which still hang upon it, instead of accelerating 
its progress by a living faith and an earnest obedi- 
ence. They will do this, when the truth they 
inwardly believe, has been baptized in the suffer- 
ings and blood of the Savior, and in the toils, 
persecutions, and death of the apostles. He who 
acts in this way, crucifies Jesus afresh, obeys 
men rather than God, and does despite to his 
knowledge of right. 

It is not alone, however, in regard to truth, 
that we discover the power of false influences in 
nullifying the command of God. Whenever a 
community, or a locality in a community, en- 
courages vicef in any way, so that it shall lift its 
head unrebuked, the proof is positive, that a great 
want of sound principle exists. There are men 
who grow wealthy, not by an honest business, 
but by preying upon the necessity of others, by 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION* 



189 



wringing great and enormous gains from those 
whose distresses drive them to ruinous sacrifices. 
And yet society has no rebuke, and churches no 
warning for them. Society spreads out its arms 
for them, and churches gladly receive them. — 
Would this be so, if the commandments of God 
were heeded and obeyed ? Here too, is an indi- 
vidual, of $ family even, and of respectable con- 
nections, influenced by licentious passions, who 
steals into a social circle like a wolf into the fold, 
and by his base, deliberate arts, destroys the fair- 
est lamb of the flock. Though she may be in- 
experienced and unsuspecting from very youth, 
yet Christian society has no mercy for her 9 and 
makes no effort to win her back to virtue. She 
is frowned out into a condition whose air is moral 
pestilence and whose ways take hold of the bit- 
terness of^ death. But the man who has coolly 
performed this enormity, what has society to say 
to him ? Does he receive every where a stern 
rebuke? Is he made to feel deserved condemn- 
ation? In how many instances such a person 
has free access to society ; is received as cor- 
dially as the best and the purest ; is socially met 
by those to whose sex he is a firebrand of de- 
struction ; and is thus encouraged to go on in 
his work of crime and villany. Will it be said 
— can it be said, that those who countenance 
such wickedness, - have not departed from that 
Christian principle of action which has its 
strength in the purity and commandments of 
God ? They do most assuredly neglect their 
duty to religion, to the welfare of society, to the 
encouragement of good morals. It is all wrong, 
and is productive of much of that pestilence of 
vices which is so widely spread in community, 
and is as fatal to virtue as the cholera is to phy- 
sical health. 



190 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION. 



But not to dwell too long upon themes of this 
character, it will be sufficient to say, that we 
every where discover a lack of principle ; of 
that elevated moral life which will neither do 
nor encourage thought of, wrong ; of that living, 
earnest, uncompromising sense of duty, which 
says of every evil deed, " I cannot do this thing 
and sin against God." Each individual who 
departs from virtue, shows that he is not actuated 
by the heavenly rule which enabled the apostles 
to obey God above all other motives. He for- 
gets God, and is led by selfishness, passion, lust. 
Instead of following Jesus, he follows sin. In- 
stead of living the life of the devoted Christian, 
he practically denies that life, and yields to the 
debasement of his moral nature. And when- 
ever he follows in the path which the errors 
and follies of those around him, have opened and 
trodden, he forsakes light for darkness, and turns 
from the Fountain of all righteousness to the 
false maxims and evil habits of the world. 

The cure for these maladies is a sure one, 
and it has been given by him, who, as a good 
physician, came to heal the sin-sick soul. Men 
need more of the spirit of the Savior — more of 
the earnestness of religion — more of that devo- 
tion of soul, which gives Christianity a triumph- 
ant reign in the world of mind — more of that en- 
tire consecration of their powers to righteous- 
ness, which makes one strive vigorously for a 
knowledge of what God commands Christians 
to do, and then to labor for obedience with the 
whole heart. They need to think less of the 
outward ; less of gratifying mere passion ; and 
give more attention to the inner man, that they 
may become so spiritually acquainted with the 
Father, as to hear the word of God, ever speak- 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION. 



191 



ing as " a still, small voice," ever listened to 
with joy and profit. 

There are those, who have made the com- 
mandments of God the absorbing theme upon 
which their whole conduct rests. In the 
moral firmament, there are brilliant stars of ex- 
ample, whose light guides truly to holiness. 
Preeminent among them is the Lord and Savior. 
His Father had laid upon him a sublime work 
to do, difficult to fulfil, yet of momentous inte- 
rest to the world. That command was the rule 
of his life. To do the will of his Father was 
his meat and drink. No event, however gloomy 
and startling, was permitted to swerve him from 
this great moral duty. The crown of Judah 
might glitter over his head — his doctrine might 
be misrepresented and his motives impeached — 
persecution might hedge up his pathway with 
the briars and thorns of suffering — the perjured 
witnesses, the mock trial, the scorning purple, 
the scourging rods, the crown of thorns, the hor- 
rors of crucifixion between two thieves, the 
crowd of infuriated enemies, the certain death, 
might all loom up in terrible array before him ; 
but they could not shake the steady purpose of 
his soul, nor enfeeble the moral grandeur of hie 
determination. He successfully resisted every 
difficulty, and consummated his work on the 
cross, thereby establishing a truth which is the 
glory and salvation of the world, and whose 
moral influence he illustrated by a life, upon 
which the wildest unbelief can not fasten a true 
suspicion, nor sin show one spot of contamina- 
tion. The apostles followed in the same path- 
way. Amid the great difficulties that attended 
their ministry — the sufferings and indignities 
they endured — and even in death itself — to obey 



192 



TRUE RULE OF ACTION. 



God was their guiding. star. Nobly did they do 
that work which the world shall feel to remotest 
generations. Nor have thousands been want- 
ing, since their day,who have prayerfully sought 
to know the commandments of God ; who have 
conscientiously striven to obey them ; who have 
loved the right, and the right alone ; and who 
have made it the supreme object of their lives to 
walk near to the Father, in love, in good- will to 
men, and in practicing the precepts of Jesus. 

Here are admirable examples of conforming 
the life to all that God commands, and of making 
that conformation the rule of moral action. If 
we would be Christians, we must follow these 
examples, and strive earnestly, constant!}^ 
prayerfully, for that entire consecration of the 
mind to virtue, that shall make obedience to God 
the primary rule of our actions, regardless of 
any worldly influence which may tend to lessen 
the power of that rule over us. It is true, strong 
temptations beset us every where ; for life is full 
of them. But we must so discipline ourselves, 
as to be able to resist temptations ; and if they 
bear upon us strongly, to turn and fly from them. 
To do this, we must search out the will of God, 
and create that love and reverence for it in our 
souls, which will enable us to cease from listening 
and cherishing thoughts of evil — for it is by 
thinking of sin and entertaining desires for the 
gratification of the passions, that temptation has 
that hold upon us which makes us yield to iniquity. 



SERMON XVL 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 

" Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your 
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven/* 
(Matthew 5 : 16.) 

Christian truth, in working out its special 
objects, establishes its reign in the soul, and 
there applies its moral influences and regenera- 
ting pov/ers. It strives to give man the com- 
rnand of himself ; to instruct his intellect with 
the perfect knowledge of his duty to God, to 
himself, and to the world ; to stimulate his moral 
sentiments with active energies to discharge 
that duty ; to teach him the necessity of con- 
trolling the passions, and to warm all his powers 
with an ardent and a practical love for truth 
and virtue. 

Besides giving men a faith-view of their ulti- 
mate destiny and of the salvation to be developed 
by the operations of divine Providence, it pre- 
sents the purest forms of moral action. It un- 
folds the sublime law of supreme love towards 
the Father, which shows its existence in a soul, 
by outward and practical love for neighbors 
and for all men. It presents the rule of doing 
unto others as we would have others do unto us, 
as the best principle of communion between 



194 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 



man and man, nation and nation. It enunciates 
the admirable duty of overcoming evil with 
good ; of utterly repudiating revenge, hatred, 
and retaliation, as guides to conduct ; and of 
acting in that spirit which aims to destroy en- 
mity and to reform the evil heart. It inculcates 
all moral principles, from the most elevated 
form of virtue, to that of avoiding even the ap- 
pearance of sin. All these precepts. Christian 
truth seeks to plant in the mind, as the best seed 
of the Father's holiness, of the Savior's purity, 
and of obedient conduct. And it strives to ger- 
minate that seed, by infusing a reverent, devo- 
ted, loving spirit into the soul, which teaches 
one to abjure sin, because it is an enemy to 
progress in knowledge and righteousness, and is 
full of misery ; and to cling to practical religion, 
because it brings one into a close communion 
with God, the Savior, angels, heaven, and eve- 
ry thing calculated to regenerate the world and 
bless men with the genuine liberty of doing right. 

The grand work of the Savior, then, is in the 
individual soul. His altar is there. His do- 
minion is there. "The kingdom of God is 
within you, 5 ' It is there, Jesus establishes a 
faith, which, with piercing eye, looks through 
the mists that hang over moral and physical 
evil, and sees the blessed land, where God in 
his love, and Jesus with truth, will attract all 
men from error and sin, into the happiness of 
joy without sorrow, of virtue without disobe- 
dience, of knowledge without doubts, and of life 
without death. It is there, the crucified Savior 
enables one to draw from that faith a power, by 
which suffering can be endured patiently, by 
which duty can be done without faltering, and 
virtue followed as the best earthly good. And 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE* 



195 



when the Sun of Righteousness has performed 
these marvelous things in a soul, he has achieved 
one of his greatest triumphs, secured one of the 
victories of his truth, and added a brilliant jew- 
el to the crown of his moral and spiritual reign. 

It is from this inward work, this regeneration 
of the soul, that all Christian reforms have 
sprung ; and all that are yet to come, will 
spring. It is not by isolated, outward move- 
ments alone, that any great reform has been ef- 
fected. Truth does not fall from heaven, and 
miraculously overturn evil institutions, and move 
masses of men in the direction of a civilization 
and freedom which consult the interest and hap- 
piness of all, of the rich and the poor, of the 
powerful and the feeble. It acts only through 
the soul. Men grow to an understanding of the 
evils which are in the world. They become 
profoundly impressed with the right. Their 
souls love it. And by its inspiration, they 
speak it fearlessly. They utter it in voices loud 
as "the sound of many waters." They govern 
themselves by its principles. And, letting their 
light shine before men, that they may be in- 
duced thereby to glorify God, they wake up 
others to the right. And, as moral forces ani- 
mate soul after soul, strength is obtained to pull 
down the old evils and banish them from the - 
earth. And thus vast results are produced by 
the work which Jesus effects in the mind. 

Let us look at the method of this work. In 
order to do so, let us begin with a family, in * 
which there is discord — whose whole happiness 
is destroyed by wild and ungoverned feelings — 
whose members are alienated from each other, 
by the want of that unity and harmony which 
can alone be produced by principle and affection. 



196 INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 

In such a family, reform is needed, if it be needed 
any where. How shall that reform be effected ? 
Gold, broad lands, elegant houses with luxurious 
adornments, and all the outward appliances 
which minister to physical comfort, can not pro- 
duce that reform. Discord and baleful passions 
are as frequently found in the midst of great 
wealth and in places of fashion and show, as in 
the humblest dwelling. The evil is within. — 
Pride, folly, anger, and a cold-hearted spirit 
have possession of their minds. But let the 
truth of Jesus enter their souls. Let that truth 
form an earnest faith there, give a knowledge 
of duty, and inspire an ardent love to obey it, 
and a reverent desire to call upon the crucified 
Son of God for strength to practice it, and then, 
in each soul, passion will cease, bitter feelings 
will be exorcised, and a warmth of purpose to 
be and to do good, will predominate. With 
this inward condition, the members of that fam- 
ily will strive to make each other happy. — 
They will be attracted to one another by Chris- 
tian love. And at the table, in the evening cir- 
cle, at the lime of prayer, in the treatment of 
children, and amid daily cares, there will be 
harmony of working, unity of purpose, and a 
beautiful care to exhibit affection and to be obe- 
dient to righteousness. In these results, reform 
is seen, and proof given that heaven may begin 
on earth. But the w r hole of this blessed change 
comes alone from the power of Jesus in the mind. 

Now let a city be composed of families, 
whose members have given up their souls to the 
dominion of truth and righteousness, and their 
light of example will shine, because their out- 
ward actions will conform to their inward con- 
dition. In such a city, all needed reform will 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 



197 



be certain of accomplishment. Think you that 
they, thus devoted to truth, with their souls 
glowing with love for Jesus and placed in the 
order of virtue by his spiritual reign, will fold 
their arms, and let the honest poor struggle with 
bitter want and sink beneath the iron grasp of a 
hopeless poverty, in the very shadow of splendid 
mansions echoing with gaity and mirth ? Think 
you that they will suffer strong men ; desiring 
work, willing to do it, eager for it, to remain 
idle ? Think you that they will permit fe- 
males to toil for twelve, fourteen, and even six- 
teen hours a day, and for a remuneration which 
is far from being sufficient to keep want from 
thinning their cheeks, and overwork from filing 
down their sharp bones for the grave ? Think 
you that they will allow gangs of idle boys 
and girls to wander in the streets, growing up 
in ignorance and crime, the plague-spots of so- 
ciety ? Think you that there will be among 
them, men of place and power, who, with a 
broadcloth- outside and a sanctimonious face for 
Sunday, yet indulge in licentiousness, gambling, 
and drinking, while their souls are full of un- 
clean thoughts ? Most certainly not. That 
these things do exist in any city, is proof that 
Jesus has not obtained entrance into a sufficient 
number of souls whose light can dispel this 
darkness — that too many have made an outward 
Jesus of form and ceremony, whom they wor- 
ship with selfishness, money, and sin. It is evi- 
dence that men are not under the dominion of 
the spiritual Savior. For if they were ; if their 
souls glowed with love for truth * if they were 
actuated by reverent devotion to virtue and hu- 
man brotherhood ; they would work unitedly, and 
their example would be felt ; their light would 



198 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 



shine ; and Christian reform would come with 
its blessings. Such a city, filled with such 
Christians, would be like the virtuous and hap- 
py family to which we have already referred. 

From the considerations thus given, the con- 
clusion follows, that all which a nation even 
needs, to reform any evils with which it may be 
afflicted, to make its government conform to the 
moral principles of the Gospel, is, to have a 
sufficient number of men in it, whose thoughts, 
moral principles, and devotion to righteousness, 
are the result of Christian truth dwelling in their 
souls. For whenever the masses of a nation 
become individually inspired, by enlightened in- 
tellect, by a high toned moral sentiment, and by 
love for Jesus, to act energetically in the cause 
of public liberty and the welfare of each citi- 
zen, the government, its laws, and its actions 
will agree with the purity of those who compose 
the nation, and all institutions which are opposed 
to that purity, will be overturned and destroyed. 

We discover, then, that reforms begin in the 
individual-soul — that Jesus, in seeking to bless 
the world, does his great work in the mind — 
and by purifying many souls and regulating the 
sources of moral action, creates a vast influence 
which is felt far and wide for the lessening of 
vice and the promotion of virtue. The world 
can be bettered and improved, only as soul after 
soul becomes attracted to God and the Savior, to 
truth and to practical religion. 

As each man thus becomes inwardly con- 
formed to truth and holiness, he possesses a 
healthy moral influence, by the outward actions 
which form the language of his inner life. His 
virtue is calculated to have as refreshing power 
over others, as the gentle dew has upon plant 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 



199 



and flower. It is to this individual influence, 
that the text refers. " Let your light so shine 
before men, that they may see your good works, 
and glorify your Father which is in heaven.' 5 
It is by the concentration of individual influences, 
that any great work is performed — for ir is by 
their might and majesty, growing out of holy 
acts which men are incited to do by the purity 
of souls in which Christian truth dwells, that 
the wicked are reclaimed, and great communi- 
ties are aroused to noble deeds of benevolence 
and practical virtue. 

But yet this subject of individual influence? 
is one which receives too little attention, while 
the duty of letting one's light shine for the ben- 
efit of others, is far too frequently lost sight of. 
Individuals act as though they were not bound 
to consider the effect which their conduct will 
have upon others, and that it is their right to 
have no thought for any one but self. No posi- 
tion can be more incorrect. The subject of 
personal influence, has paramount claims upon 
every mind. For the influence of even one 
man, produces either good or evil upon those 
who stand within the sphere of his action. In 
what manner do children become profane, and 
learn to utter horrid oaths, almost before they 
can walk 1 Simply by the power which the 
habits of men have upon them. Why is it, 
that we may find so many instances among 
ruined young men, who may mark the com- 
mencement of their wickedness at the feet of 
persons who dwell among the wealthy and pow- 
erful ? Because the example of men of place 
and rank, has attracted them to vice. Why is 
it, that the honesty of one man, has the tenden- 
cy to induce others to be honest with him ? — 



200 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 



Why is it, that the kindness of one person, will 
subdue the enmity of others ? Why does strict 
attendance at church on the part of some, tend 
to induce the same practice on the part of others ? 
Why has an obliging disposition in one neigh- 
bor, the power to kindle a flame of the same 
spirit in the souls of others. These questions 
might be greatly extended. But what is the an- 
swer to these 1 It is through individual influ- 
ence ; the power of example ; the strength 
which the conduct of one man exerts over that 
of another. 

A person may say, that he has no individual- 
influence over others ; that he is an insignificant, 
isolated being ; and that his conduct can be of 
no sort of consequence to the multitudes about 
him. Thousands think after this fashion. But 
facts prove its error. If we consult history and 
biography, we shall find brilliant instances of 
single men, whose conduct, flowing from the 
reign of Christian truth in the soul, has possessed 
an influence which worked out vast results in 
their day, and is still exerting a far-reaching 
and genial power for good and blessing. All 
the good that is being done on earth, is as cer- 
tainly the result of individual-influences, as the 
water of a river is composed of individual -drops. 
Will any man say, that he can have no influ- 
ence in adding to this mass of good ; this stock 
of virtue and benevolence ] 

Who, then, were the little band of reformers, 
at the head of whom stood the fearless, truth- 
loving, earnest, straight-forward, Martin Lu- 
ther ? Who were they, but single men ? Yet, 
isolated men as they were, they thundered away 
at the corruptions and errors of their times ; and 
though they were opposed by dread powers and 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 



201 



a revengeful ecclesiastical despotism, yet suc- 
ceeded in starting that reformation, which re- 
sulted in taking the Bible from the cell of the 
monk and placing it in the hands of the com- 
mon people ; in giving men freedom to speak 
boldly what they thought ; and in paving the 
way for the unfettered progress of the soul in 
moral, spiritual, and intellectual culture. These 
men stirred the world with their mighty deeds. 
And the glorious influences of those deeds will 
go down to remote generations, and electrify 
them with new power. 

Who was John Frederic Oberlin ? He was 
but one man, that labored alone, and at first, 
without assistance. Yet this lone man went 
among a semi-barbarous people living in a bye- 
corner of France, and by his labors of love and 
the influence of his character, overcame their 
bitter prejudices ; induced them to improve 
their roads, and modes of agriculture, and to 
build school houses ; changed their manners ; 
developed their religious powers ; and, by the 
blessing of God, made them a civilized, virtu- 
ous, and contented people. 

Who then was Clarkson, a man that stood in 
England, an advocate against the infamous 
slave trade ? He commenced his work, when 
the whole nation was opposed to him. Money- 
interests and prejudices were against him. 
Yet for twenty years he toiled on, amid neglect 
and suffering, until at last he aroused the nation 
to the justice of the cause he proclaimed, and 
an act was passed, abolishing the slave-trade, 
and declaring it piracy. One individual, by 
the influence of his acts, produced this vasr result. 

Who was Howard, that devoted his property 
and his life to the welfare of imprisoned debtors 
J 



202 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 



and criminals, and to the reform of revengeful 
laws, and who lost his life in distant Tartary, 
while on his mission of love and mercy ? Who 
was Fenelon, that by his enlarged benevolence, 
alleviated the sufferings of thousands, and won 
the affections of contending armies ? Who 
were the six men of Baltimore, that rose up 
from the wretchedness of intemperance, and by 
taking a pledge of sobriety, electrified the whole 
nation, and called men by scores and hundreds 
from the ditch of degradation, to be well-clad, 
and in their right minds to again mingle with so- 
ciety, as persons of sobriety and industry ? Why, 
these were only single individuals — standing 
alone, without the assistance of the world. 
But what a vast work they performed. How 
mighty their individual influence. How glo- 
rious the results of their labors. How full of 
rich blessings. They never thought that they 
could do nothing, because they were alone. — 
They worked. They succeeded. And they 
have obtained a permanent place in the world's 
history, as among the noblest benefactors of the 
race. 

I know it may be said, that we cannot have 
the large opportunities for good which these men 
had, and that the sphere of most men is humble, 
limited, and unnoticed. True — but what then ? 
Every man can have an influence in the sphere 
of action which holds him. And by Christian 
conduct, he can make himself felt for benevo- 
lence, for honesty, for virtue, as a true follower 
of Jesus. And though his moral influence may 
be no more in comparison with that of the men 
whose names have been mentioned, than the 
evening star to the sun, yet it is just as pure as 
theirs, and as deserving of God ; s blessing as 



INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 203 



the far-famed labors of Howard, Oberlin, and 
Clarkson. That moral influence may be so 
humble, as soon to be lost sight of in the great 
tide of human events, yet it will neither be for* 
gotten nor become useles. For though it would 
be difficult to prove it, yet I do not believe that 
moral influence, once developed, ever ceases to 
bear upon the progress of the world. The drop 
of dew is an individual drop, as it rests in the 
bosom of the flower, and glitters like a diamond 
in the brightness of the morning sun. But after 
it has been absorbed by heat and diffused 
through the atmosphere, it can no longer be in- 
dividualized. Still it is a part of that water 
which throbs in the vast ocean-heart, and circu- 
lates in the arteries and veins of the earth to 
give life to the animal and vegetable kingdoms. 
So no moral influence which man may work 
out, will perish, though lost sight of. It will 
form part of that great tide of truth and right- 
eousness, which is bearing the race onward to 
that glorious period, when Jesus shall reign in 
every soul, and man shall dwell with man as a 
brother in the family of men. 

It is amid these considerations, that we can 
appreciate more fully, the necessity and excel- 
lence of the command of the Son of God : — 
" Let your light. so shine before men, that they 
may see your good works, and glorify your 
Father which is in heaven," A command which 
his immediate followers implicitly obeyed — for 
their works have filled the world with moral 
light. A command which glows with the ra- 
diance of the Savior's example. For whether 
called to meet persecution, to do deeds of heaven - 
born benevolence, or to suffer death, he ever 
performed works calculated to lead men to 



204 INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 



glorify God* And the light of those works is 
streaming from the cross, and will penetrate 
every dark place of the soul, until the race 
shall be subdued by his truth and shall live in 
his life of immortality and felicity. 

As followers of the crucified Son of God, we 
are bound to labor for the progress of our souls 
in faith and righteousness, that we may obey 
this admirable precept. As believers in the 
sublime truth, that God in the Savior, will de- 
stroy all partial evil by infinite and unending 
good — a truth which man needs for instruction 
and consolation — a truth, without whose preva- 
lence, men can not be warmed by the spirit of 
universal brotherhood — we should live accord- 
ing to its precepts, that our moral influence 
may attract men to its joys and its blessings. — 
As lovers of our race ; of the progress of so- 
ciety out of vice into virtue ; we should move 
amid works of kindness, honesty, and holiness, 
that we may add to the power of righteousness in 
winning men to Jesus and salvation. 



SERMON XVII. 



THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE AND ITS 
PROSPECTS. 



" Go to now, ye that say, to-da y or to-morrow we will go in- 
to such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, 
and get gain. Whereas, ye know not what shall be on the 
morrow. For what is your life ] It is even a vapor, that 
appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For 
that, ye ough' to say, if the Lord will, we shall live, and 
do this, or lhat." (James 4 ; 13, 14, 15.) 

It is a common remark, that life and its pros- 
pects are uncertain — that however well-grounded 
the expectations of an individual may be, for 
prosperity and long life; yet he can not be sure 
of either for a day — for circumstances over which 
he can have no control, may intervene to nip his 
brightest anticipations with the frost of misfortune, 
and rudely blow out the I amp of his life. There is 
truth in the remark, however, only in a relative 
degree. So far as we are concerned, it expres- 
ses a correct idea, embracing startling facts which 
render each day momentous with interest. But 
it has a different appearance, when considered 
in relation to the Providence of God. With him, 
no event is uncertain ; for all events are govern- 
ed by unfaltering and steady laws or modes of 
action. The growth of a plant, as well as the 
movements of the celestial orbs which make the 



206 



THE UNCERTAINTY OF 



heavens so grand ; the motions of a single flower, 
as well as the revolution and rotation of the earth ; 
are ruled by the order of him whose will the 
universe obeys. The wanderings of a dew-drop, 
glittering on a morning rose, and from thence 
ascending on a sunbeam, are guided by unerring 
law, as surely as the awful throbbings and great 
tidal pulsations of the ocean. Nor is it less so, 
in regard to the drama of human life and its 
complicated affairs. Though it is more difficult 
and, in some instances, impossible, to follow the 
tangled skein of law in this department of the 
Providence of God, yet it has not been left to 
chaos and chance. Under the law which God 
has impressed on human nature, man is every 
where a social being ; while birth, life, and death 
proceed in regular and unremitting succession. 
In the teachings of this fact, who will say that 
any event is chaotic and lawless, and transpires 
without any connection with the righteous gov- 
ernment of God ? Our Savior uttered a profound 
truth, when he said to his disciples, " Are not 
two sparrows sold for a farthing 1 And one of 
them shall not fall on the ground without your 
Father. But the very hairs of your head are all 
numbered." (Matt. 10 : 29, 30.) 

It is true, that some events, in the social rela- 
tions and in the progress of life, transpire sud- 
denly. Men obtain property ; yet, not unfre- 
quently, it is wrested from their grasp in an hour. 
Men may have health ; yet, sometimes, the man 
of health is smitten down without a moment's 
warning. It is difficult ; yea, it is often impos- 
sible to show that these events are governed by 
laws which shall guide them to good results. — 
They look so much like accidents — they seem so 
to burst out from the steady progress of events — 



LIFE AND ITS PROSPECTS. 



207 



that, at first view, one is almost tempted to regard 
them as chance things. Nevertheless, every step 
we take in knowledge of the government with 
which God sways the universe, gives us a clearer 
insight into the fact, that the moral, intellectual, 
social, and physical laws which surround man, 
take hold of all the events of life, whether they 
startle us with unexpected occurrence or pro- 
ceed from regular succession. Suppose that a 
clock could be so constructed, as to represent the 
affairs of life ; the movements of its pendulum 
denoting the steady procession of events which 
all expect and see. But suppose, that suddenly 
it should strike its bell, whose sharp tones, rep- 
resenting the unexpected occurrences of human 
existence, should thrill every heart, and then 
should go on with its ceaseless ticking, marking 
out birth, life, and death on its great dial -plate. 
It would be evident to all, that the note of the 
bell, though only occasional, was as surely gov- 
erned by the laws of the clock, as its more reg- 
ular results. Apply this illustration to life itself, 
and you have the sublime thought, that all things, 
all events, are under the supervision of the ever- 
lasting Father. They have been foreseen in his 
omniscience, and are governed by laws, which, 
issuing from infinite Wisdom, work out the will 
of that boundless Love, which has woven its web 
of affection around every creature. Herein is 
strong confidence in God — confidence which 
takes hold of the soul and fills it with the feelings 
of the prophet, when, with deep emotion, he said, 
" Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither 
shall fruit be in the vines ; the labor of the olive 
shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the 
flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there 
shall be no herd in the stalls : yet will I rejoice 



THE UNCERTAINTY OF 



in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salva- 
tion." (Hab. 3: 17, 18.) He believed in God, 
and he feared not. 

With God, then, there is nothing accidental. 
It is in relation to ourselves alone, that life and 
its prospects are uncertain — are held by a feeble 
grasp. And it is a true thought — one which 
speaks a certain voice from the stern lessons of 
time. How often is the young heart, beating 
with the pulsations of hope, suddenly chilled with 
black despair. How often is a family, in which 
the sun of happiness is shining brightly and the 
birds of peace and affection are singing gaily, 
suddenly shrouded in darkness and shaken by 
the howling storm of anguish and blighted pros- 
pects. An individual may possess great prop- 
erty, and may rejoice in the hope of shielding 
loved ones from want, and of passing the evening 
of life in comfort. But a sudden fire ; a ship- 
wreck ; false friends ; the endorsement of a large 
note for a man with bankruptcy already written 
in his heart; strip him of every thing, compel 
him to open the door of his house and permit 
grim poverty to enter, and leave him to struggle 
in toil for daily bread. Even if one can escape 
all these, death will at last come, force him away 
from broad lands and splendid mansions, and 
send him, naked, poor, and feeble, to the mercy 
and charity of his God. 

Nor is life less uncertain. That uncertainty 
is finely expressed by the apostle, in saying that 
life " is even a vapor." In one sense, it is like 
a gush of mist rushing rapidly by on the wings 
of the storm, to disappear in darkness. We 
wish not to disparage human existence. It is a 
great field for marvelous manifestations ; for 
growth in intellectual and moral power ; for glo- 



LIFE AND ITS PROSPECTS. 



209 



rious struggles with evil ; for progress in benev- 
olent action ; for labor in the acquisition of know- 
ledge ; for brilliant exhibitions of virtue, and of 
the mercy and goodness of God. It is a great 
link in the providence of the Father — one step 
in the sublime plan which God hath formed, for 
the establishment of ultimate peace and felicity. 
Simply to exist is a blessing. To look upon the 
varied and beautiful works with which God has 
surrounded us, adds to the greatness of the bless- 
ing. To be able to exercise moral force, in the 
light of the Savior's hallowed instructions ; to re- 
sist the temptations that press upon us ; to act for 
the triumph of true principles; to be instrumen- 
tal in adding to the sum of human happiness; 
these make the blessing grand. Therefore, hu- 
man existence, considered in itself and its rela- 
tions to the infinite, is a signal token of divine 
wisdom and goodness. 

But, in another view — in its uncertainty to us 
— in its comparison with other forms of duration 
which are impressed upon nature — "it is even a 
vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then 
vanisheth away." Look at time, as checked off 
into the centuries of the past ; time, which has 
ground great nations, cities, temples, stone walls 
into dust, and left only here and there a fragment 
of a broken column to mark its footsteps : time, 
which has buried unknown millions and hidden 
mighty events so securely in the obscurity of the 
past, that the eye of history can not pierce 
the darkness which envelopes them; and what 
more than a mere vapor is the longest life, when 
compared with it? But take a vaster thought — 
one of overwhelming extent — embraced in the 
question ; what is human life in contrast with the 
endless existence of God ; an existence without 



210 



THE UNCERTAINTY OF 



"beginning of days or ending of years?" On 
the broad mirror of God's eternity, it is but a 
breath which is, and is not. It is but the brief- 
est movement of the feeblest wave in the ocean 
of the universe. 

Death is performing a great work among the 
living. Even in the more regular manifestations 
of its power, it presents life as an uncertainty to 
human expectations. It enters, as it were, a vast 
forest, where tender buds, opening flowers, vig- 
orous trees, strong oaks, and tottering forms, are 
mingled together. It does not select those whose 
work is nearly over, and leave the tender and 
the flourishing ones to rejoice in their expanding 
powers. It passes along with giant strength, re- 
gardless of any within reach. It breathes upon 
the tender bud of infancy, and it wilts like an 
early plant in April-frosts. It breaks the splen- 
did lily of female loveliness, and it perishes. — 
It strikes the tree of manly beauty, and it with- 
ers to its topmost branch. It rends down the lofty 
forms of mature years, and the crumbling trunks 
of decrepitude. And it mingles all of them in 
one common grave. 

There are, however, a thousand ways in which 
life is rendered uncertain, besides the more reg- 
ular flow of the awful flood. A flash of li^ht- 
ning ; a mysterious disease, spreading over the 
world with fatal effect upon human organism ; 
the fall of a tree ; a sudden rush of blood ; are 
but examples from a great number. One in- 
stance is now in my mind, which makes the fig- 
ure used by the apostle, vivid. A few years 
since, a party, consisting of a few young men 
and five blooming girls, sailed to the islands 
which form one boundary of Portland harbor, in 
Maine. The afternoon of their return was a 



LIFE AND ITS PROSPECTS. 



211 



beautiful one. The water was as still as old 
Galilee became, at the bidding of the Savior. — 
The trees, dwellings, land, and sky, were reflect- 
ed as in a mirror. Suddenly, a squall, a few 
rods in width, a mere line of motion in the calm- 
ness of the scene, shot across the harbor, taking 
the pleasure-boat in its path, which it instantly 
upset, when the young ladies were in the cabin. 
The boat was raised in a few hours, and the five, 
fair, promising ones were taken out, with the seal 
of death upon them. "For what is your life? 
It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, 
and then vanisheth away." 

These thoughts, in regard to the instability of 
human life and its prospects, have had startling 
illustrations during the last few months. The 
sweeping fire in Watertown, annihilating, as it 
were, its business-heart — the huge conflagration 
in St. Louis — the rushing floods of the Mississip- 
pi, breaking down the feeble barriers of human 
power, overflowing vast tracts of cultivated land, 
and inundating a great city with disease and 
death — the mysterious and fatal scourge of chol- 
era, rapidly hurrying its thousands to the grave 
— indicate the instability of wealth and the inse- 
curity of life. Then too, the Empire Steamer, 
freighted with those who were thinking of home, 
or intent on business, or locked in the arms of 
sleep, was suddenly smitten and sunk, and over 
thirty individuals were deprived of life without 
a moment's warning. Then comes a mob in the 
metropolis of the land, starting from a foolish 
cause, yet growing out of the feeling of the mass- 
es against the attempt of wealth to monopolize 
one particular form of public amusement and to 
give it an exclusively aristocratic air. In the 
suppression of this mob, a number of persons 



212 



THE UNCERTAINTY OF 



were hurried into eternity. But among these, 
were a few, who were in no manner connected 
with the lawless scene ; but who, though in the 
vicinity, were quietly pursuing their way, when 
met by the leaden messengers which smote them 
to the earth. These instances, with those acci- 
dents which are occurring in every part of the 
land, are only so many marked illustrations of 
the feeble grasp we place upon riches and of the 
uncertainty of human life. They are events 
which speak with clear voices, and utter truth 
which should be well heeded. 

But why, it may be asked, have these solemn 
lessons of life been arrayed? I answer, that 
they have been arrayed, not for the purpose of 
exciting gloomy impressions ; not to sanction the 
folly, that men must not acquire wealth, because 
it may be snatched from them suddenly ; not to 
cause murmurings because death must come, 
and may come instantly and without an alarm- 
note. The object is higher than this, and aims 
for a nobler flight. These momentous facts, 
starting up every where on the heaving sea of 
life, teach us, when rightly studied, the necessi- 
ty of enriching the soul with that kind of wealth 
which is above and beyond all change; which pre- 
pares one to walk cheerfully along the highway 
of years; which gives one a steadfastness amid 
misfortunes, like that of a rock beaten by storm, 
and tempest, and heaving billows ; and which 
incites to that preparation which looks upon death 
without fear and with smiling welcome, whether 
it dart from an unexpected corner or be seen afar, 
surrounded by the decrepitude of age. No per- 
son can be ready for the afflicting changes of life, 
and meet them with serenity and fortitude, with- 
out that confidence in God and in the wisdom and 



LIFE AND ITS PROSPECTS. 



213 



benignity of his government, which enables the 
soul to rise above all storms into a serene air, 
where the brilliancy of the morning is seen to 
succeed the darkest night, and infinite and end- 
less good is seen to take the place of evil. In- 
dividuals may, as thousands do, devote all their 
powers to the acquisition of wealth and mere 
earthly enjoyments. They may make these the 
objects of supreme attention and delight. But 
when misfortune deprives them of their posses- 
sions ; when they are obliged to meet the peltings 
of the tempest, with souls as poor in spiritual and 
moral riches as their hands are of luxuries ; then 
they lose all comfort. The storm crushes them. 
The true devotees of changeable things alone, 
change ruins them ; and they make, their bed in 
repining, and too often seek to drown their troubles 
in sin, with the fatal mistake, that fire can best 
be overcome by adding more fuel. To avoid 
this, all earthly cravings must be made subordi- 
nate to the careful preparation of the mind in 
truth and righteousness. 

We need to have the faith which takes strong 
hold of the truth that Jesus taught — that truth, 
which the life, death, and resurrection of the Sa- 
vior have sanctified — that truth, which is brilliant 
with the love,, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, vir- 
tue, and devotion of the Redeemer, like as the 
heavens are brilliant with stars. It is the truth, 
which embraces the endearing fact, that God is 
the Father of the race* — that he rules and reigns 
with supreme wisdom and love — and that, in his 
government, all events will be overruled for ul- 
timate and endless good. It is truth, which de- 
velopes the startling fact of life and immortality, 
and of the reconciliation of the race ; of the su- 
blime idea, that sin, sorrow, error, change, pain. 



214 



THE UNCERTAINTY OF 



and death, shall give way to holiness, joy, truth, 
peace, and endless existence. This is the faith 
we need. And, in order to possess it, the soul 
must be cultivated in it ; must see its foundation 
and relations ; so that a powerful, internal con- 
sciousness of its reality, may be a living fire in 
the mind, that shall inspire trust, confidence, and 
hope in Christianity. 

But this faith, that it may have its mission in 
the soul, earnestly demands a thorough culture of 
the moral nature. It can not work out that con- 
fidence and trust, which make one cheerful un- 
der the most adverse circumstances/ in a sinful 
mind. A man may sow good seed in a field. — - 
But what kind of a harvest can he expect, if he 
cast in abundance of tares and thistles, and then 
bestow all his labors upon their cultivation f — - 
The good seed will die, and leave him tares and 
thistles for his food. As in the physical, so in 
the moral world. Faith can live only in a con- 
genial soil. It can not, it will not grow in a mind 
which has no activity .but the activity of sin. — 
Therefore, we must not only have faith, but we 
must apply that faith to our moral growth in the 
precepts of Christianity, that we may be accept- 
able in the sight of God. 

There is no qualification, which can arm one 
to meet the saddest changes of life with cheer- 
fulness and hope, like an inward sense ^of duty, 
faithfully performed! It was because Job was 
a perfect and upright man ; "one who feared God 
and eschewed evil ;" that his faith in the Father, 
worked out a confiding trust in him, more sublime 
than any natural scene. To live for virtue ; to 
pass through life wisely ; to cultivate the mind ; 
to rejoice in being useful ; this is the great secret 
of enjoying the divine riches of faith, and of feel- 



LIFE AND ITS PROSPECTS. 215 



ing, when the storm rages most wildly, that 
God and the Savior are very near with the de- 
fenses of love. 

Such a moral preparation not only gives joy 
to men, but it makes them useful to others. It 
brings them out of that selfish scramble which 
so much characterizes modern society, and in 
which every one is for himself, while neighbors 
are forgotten. They are then capable of having 
real power in advancing the happiness of others, 
and in urging onward that Christian reform which 
the world so much needs. No person can be a 
real reformer of others, until he has first reform- 
ed himself. Of what worth is a man's talk about 
temperance, who tipples behind the door or else- 
where ? Of what value is a man's advocacy of 
the elevation of the oppressed toilers, who himself 
possesses the spirit of paying labor the smallest 
possible pittance, and who, if he had the means, 
would be a great tyrant, and illustrate the old 
adage of a beggar on horseback ? Of what real 
moral feeling is he possessed, who, while de- 
nouncing southern slavery, is a perfect slave- 
master in his family? Of what avail is the 
whining cant of an individual, who, on Sunday, 
loudly inveighs against the wickedness of the 
world, and, on the remainder of the week, wields 
an iron hand ? The fact is, that if a man wish 
to make the world better, he must begin with 
himself. If he wish to reform the community 
and its institutions, he must commence the work 
in his own heart and life. He must be virtuous. 
He must have a loving spirit. Fie must exhibit, 
in his life and example, the goodness of the truth 
he advocates. He can speak, then, with the pa- 
thos of sincerity, and hallow his words with ho- 
liness. 



216 



UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE, 



Such men, in the circles of their influence, 

can and do have great power in the progress of 
the world to a better mental, moral, and physical 
condition. For men are improveable. They 
are capable of a vastly higher state than they 
are now in. There is hope of and for them. I 
agree not with* those who make their homes in 
the graves of the past; cover themselves up with 
the old ideas of total, innate depravity ; and cry 
out that there is no hope of oppressed man, that 
God has no hope of him, that he will drag him- 
self along, and, at last, be ruined without reme- 
dy. He is improveable. There is a growing 
influence coming from the efforts of honest and 
truth-loving men, educated in the school of Je- 
sus, which is giving a new impulse to virtue and 
reform among the millions who have so long 
toiled in darkness. 

It is, then, in labors of love ; in the practice of 
virtue ; in striving for a good example, in our day 
and generation : that the power is gained, which 
unfolds the fulness of faith in the soul, casts a 
glow of cheerfulness over the whole life, pre- 
pares one to meet sudden and disastrous changes 
without fear or distrust, and, in all, teaches us to 
give thanks to the Father for his great goodness. 



687 





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